PRESS RELEASE

IIT Mandi Researchers make nature-inspired material that

can harvest water from fog
Adopting Biomimetic approaches, they study the intricate structures
of plants and mimic them to build materials that can capture water
from air
MANDI, 8thOctober2018: Indian Institute of Technology Mandi Researchers have
developed a nature-inspired material that can harvest water from fog. The
Researchershave designed water harvesting surfaces based on the surface structure of
the leaves of an ornamental plant called the Dragon’s lily head (Gladiolus dalenii).

A Research team lead Dr. Venkata Krishnan, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the
School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi, studied the intricate structures on the body of plants
that capture water from air and mimics them to build materials that can harvest water.
His results have been published in journals such as Flora, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and
Engineering, and Biomimetics.

Research teams worldwide are working towards developing techniques that can
harvest water from unexpected sources, such as fog and mist, to meet the burgeoning
demand for water. Many of these researchers look to nature for ideas. Biomimetics has
inspired us in innovations ranging from the humble Velcro to the large metal birds that
fly us across nations and continents.

Can we take a leaf out of nature’s book to develop sustainable water harvesting
technologies? “Yes, both literally and figuratively,” says Dr. Venkata Krishnan, “there
are several plants in arid and semi-arid regions of the world whose leaves can harvest
water from dew and fog. If they can do it, so can we,” he adds.

Many animals and plants reap water from the air in interesting ways. The Darkling
beetles of the Namib Desert of Africa, use their body surfaces to catch water droplets
suspended in air. The beetle sticks its rear end up in the air (“fog-basking”) and tiny
grooves and bumps on its hardened forewings condense water in the air while Teflon-
like water repellent coating on the beetle’s body direct the water towards its mouth.
Some plants such as Namib Bushman grass, Bermuda grass and various species of cacti
are also able to capture fog from the atmosphere and convert it to fresh water.

Dr. Venkata Krishnan and his team have found that three dimensional hierarchical
structures on the plant body help in water harvesting, much like the ridges and bumps
on the body of the beetles.
The team at IIT Mandi has studied the mechanism by which Bermuda grass harvests
water from fog. The researchers have discovered two interesting structural traits – well-
arranged conical spines with sharp edges, in which the deposition of fog droplets
occurs and hierarchically organized seedheads that have flattened surfaces with
gradient grooves, which transport the coalesced water droplets in a particular
direction.

“The gradient of the Laplace pressure and fibre-like hanging phenomenon of the
droplet allow the grass to efficiently collect fog. Understanding the structural
characteristics of the grass offers ideas for designing material for water harvesting”, says
Dr. Venkata Krishnan.

The team has also studied fog collection and water-channelling properties of a
herbaceous fern called Dryopteris marginata. This fern has an intricate system of
multiscale channels so that the water spreads quickly and is transported efficiently. The
researchers did not stop with just studying this fern, they replicated it in the laboratory,
wherein hierarchical multichannels were fabricated by facile soft-lithographic
technique on a polymer substrate. Excellent water channelling was observed in these
polymer structures.

More recently, Dr. Venkata Krishnan and his group have designed water harvesting
surfaces based on the surface structure of the leaves of an ornamental plant called the
Dragon’s lily head (Gladiolus dalenii). The surface patterns on the leaf in micrometre
(10-6 m) and nanometre (10-9 m) scales were evaluated in relation to the water
harvesting properties, and the patterns were replicated using soft lithographic
technique as before, onto a polymer material. The team found a 230% enhancement
on the fog harvesting performance of the patterned samples, compared to an
unpatterned control sample.

A recent study by WaterAid, a water and sanitation non-profit organization in London,

reports that 163 million people of the 1.35 billion population of India – a whopping 12% –
do not have access to clean drinking water. Solutions to provide drinking water to
India’s growing population must not only span policy and behavioural changes but also
incorporate scientific and technological innovations inspired by nature.

Archaeology shows that man has already been inspired by these life forms; in ancient
Israel, low circular walls were built around plants and vines to collect moisture of
transpiration from them. Similar architectural structures existed in South America’s
Atacama Desert and in Egypt, where, piles of stones were arranged such that
condensed water could trickle down and be collected. If water harvesting from fog
was possible in the past, it is certainly possible now, as Dr. Venkata Krishnan’s research
shows. Collaborative efforts between scientists, industry and policy makers can enable
furthering of this technology to provide drinking water to some or all of the 12 per cent
of the underprivileged in the country.
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About IIT Mandi (http://www.iitmandi.ac.in/)

Nestled in Sivalik Range of the Himalayas, IIT Mandi is fast emerging as a leader in science and
technology education, knowledge creation and innovation, in an India marching towards a just,
inclusive and sustainable society. Since the first batch of students took place in July 2009, IIT
Mandi has grown to host over 1,030 students, 104 Faculty, 150 staff, 670 alumni, and attracted
funding to the tune of over Rs.70 crore in Research Projects.

From a total of 586 students in 2013, the institute aims to grow to 5,000 B.Tech, MTech/MSc and
MS/PhD by the Year 2029. Currently, the campus has completed about 70,000 sq.m. of
construction. Another 1,50,000 sq.m. is currently under construction. Infrastructure and space
would be created to accommodate more than 2,500 students, 200 faculty and staff by of 2019.
The institute has an Interdisciplinary Academic Culture which is Design-oriented. The B.Tech.
curriculum focuses on Real-World team projects from the Year One to Four, honing students by
various approaches such as learn-by-doing. Emphasis is on teamwork that is driven by the needs
of society. A strong humanities component as well makes the IIT Mandi curriculum even more
relevant to the society at large. There are many active MoUs with TU9 in Germany since May
2011 with over 20 visits by IIT to TU9, 12 visits from Germany.

Launched in 2016, IIT Mandi's very own technology-business incubator Catalyst is the first
Technology Business Incubator (TBI) in Himachal Pradesh. It aims to incubate technology-based
startups focused on economic and/or social impacts. EWOK (Enabling Women of Kamand
Valley) is another very innovative program being run by IIT Mandi which focuses on Skills training
village-scale businesses by village women using Internet and pervasive mobile network and
Serving local and global customers.

Twitter: @iit__mandi
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