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Slippery hydrophilic radiative cooling surfaces for optimal dew condensation and collection
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DOI：10.1038/s43246-026-01318-3.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Atmospheric water harvesting is a promising approach for potable water generation, particularly in dry landlocked environments, but high energy costs for condensation and capture remain a fundamental impediment. Passive radiative cooling offers an attractive alternative, cooling surfaces below the dew point without active energy input. However, experimental performance has been limited, with both condensation and collection of dew on radiative cooling surfaces remaining challenging. Here, we introduce a slippery hydrophilic radiative cooling surface that through its high infrared emissivity enables effective sub-ambient cooling, and through its surface wettability optimizes both condensation and collection of atmospheric water. In addition, we demonstrate a vertically oriented device architecture that allows for optimizing convection, collecting 25 g/m² of atmospheric water over 6 h of outdoor nighttime testing at relative humidities of 65% and 45 g/m²/h at relative humidities of 95%. We also develop a model that accurately predicts system performance and show that our approach enables water generation and collection approaching the thermodynamic limit of radiative cooling-driven dew condensation. These results highlight the potential of passive radiative cooling as a practical, cost-effective technology for water generation worldwide. Extracting water from the atmosphere is a promising way to obtain potable water in dry, landlocked environments, but high energy costs for condensation and capture remain a key barrier. Here, the authors introduce a slippery, hydrophilic radiative-cooling surface that enables sub-ambient cooling via high infrared emissivity and optimizes both condensation and collection of atmospheric water through its wettability.
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