One solution to water scarcity is harvesting water from air. Dai and his team of researchers recently advanced that technology by developing a novel platform to accelerate the harvesting process. The platform solves a key problem in water harvesting: Collected water droplets form a thermal barrier that prevents further condensation, so they need to be removed from the surface as rapidly as possible to make room for more harvesting. “Surface tension force moves the liquid from the collection surface into the channel, which is good for continuous water harvesting,” Dai said. “This requires a decentralized water harvesting technology.”Because the technology removes moisture from air, it also could be useful in food processing and other environments that require humidity control, he said.