Potential Water Collection From Air by Chloride Perovskites

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2024-09, Vol.36 (39), p.e2404758-n/a
• Main Authors: Ren, Lizhi, Cao, Jinguo, Liu, Siwen, Jin, Bowen, Song, Xin, Zong, Huiyi, Qian, Jin, Wang, Shimin, Yang, Dong, Wang, Kai, Wu, Congcong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorbed water; Adsorption; atmospheric water harvesting; Chemical bonds; Collection; Cubic lattice; density functional theory calculations; Energy harvesting; Hydrogen bonds; Lead chlorides; Metal chlorides; perovskite; Perovskites; solid‐phase sintering; Sorbents; Structural stability; Water; Water chemistry; Water resources; Water vapor
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202404758

Directly capturing water from the air has become a compelling strategy to secure water resources. Yet, challenges persist with sorption‐based hygroscopic materials, such as inadequate water adsorption efficiency, material degradation post‐adsorption, and the need for energy input during water collection. This study introduces an alternative category of sorbent materials potentially for atmospheric water harvesting—metal chloride perovskites—that exhibit spontaneous water vapor adsorption and liquid water collection. This water uptake capability stems from the uncoordinated polar ions that form hydrogen bonds with water molecules, while the cubic lattice imparts a solid framework ensuring structural stability and inhibiting hydrolysis. The methylammonium lead chloride perovskite pellets exhibit efficient water collection performance, with a record absorption rate of 0.841 L m−2 h−1 and a total water collection of 3.675 L m−2 within a 7‐h cycle. This initiative attempts to provide a new material class candidate for the potential application of passive atmospheric water harvesting. The study explores metal chloride perovskites as a novel class of sorbent materials for atmospheric water harvesting. These materials effectively adsorb water vapor through delicate bonds with water molecules and reversible reactions involving hydrate intermediates. This design locks hygroscopic A‐site ions within a stable [PbCl3] sublattice, forming perovskite crystals, making them promising candidates for atmospheric water harvesting applications.