In a surprising twist of science, researchers at Penn Engineering have stumbled upon a new material that can pull water from the air without needing electricity or special equipment.
This accidental discovery could lead to new ways to provide clean water in dry regions and help cool electronics or buildings more sustainably.
The finding happened during a lab experiment when a Ph.D. student, Bharath Venkatesh, noticed something unusual.
Water droplets were forming on a material that wasn’t being cooled or exposed to high humidity. At first, the research team thought it was a mistake caused by the lab environment.
But further testing confirmed something special was happening.
The researchers, led by Professors Daeyeon Lee and Amish Patel, discovered a new type of material made of tiny nanopores that attract and move water in a way no one had seen before.
This new class of materials is made by combining water-loving (hydrophilic) nanoparticles with water-repelling (hydrophobic) plastic in just the right balance.
In most similar materials, water vapor from the air condenses into the pores but stays trapped there. However, in this case, water not only enters the pores—it moves up to the surface and forms droplets, which is a completely new behavior.
Even more surprising, the droplets don’t evaporate quickly, which goes against what physics would normally predict.
To confirm their results, the team tested thicker versions of the material.
They found that the amount of water collected increased with the thickness of the film, proving that the water wasn’t simply condensing on the surface but was coming from inside the material.
Electron microscope videos even showed a continuous cycle of water condensing in the pores, moving to the surface, and forming stable droplets.
The researchers believe this behavior is caused by a hidden network of water reservoirs inside the material. These reservoirs keep drawing moisture from the air and feeding it to the surface, creating a feedback loop. The balance of water-attracting and water-repelling parts is what makes this possible.
What makes the discovery even more exciting is that the material is made from common components and can be produced using simple manufacturing methods.
This opens the door for real-world applications like passive water collectors in dry regions, coatings that respond to humidity, and eco-friendly cooling systems.
The team is now working on scaling up the material and exploring ways to make the droplets roll off surfaces more efficiently.
While the full mechanism is still being explored, one thing is clear—this accidental discovery could change how we think about harvesting water and managing heat in a warming world.
