Nanocellulose Building Block for the Construction of Hygroscopic Aerogels

Abstract

Moisture, a ubiquitous component in the atmosphere, offers a wealth of opportunities and presents various challenges in our daily lives and the surrounding environment. On the one hand, people can obtain clean drinking water from air and use the moisture to create new energy sources. On the other hand, many people across the world still face long-term drought or damp hazards caused by extremely low or high humidity. Therefore, the sustainable management of atmospheric moisture is crucial for creating a comfortable lifestyle for humanity. Cooling condensation and desiccant drying are established methods for adjusting atmospheric humidity, yet they still face a range of challenges including energy usage, efficiency levels, operational simplicity, and broad applicability. Recently, hygroscopic materials, which can regulate environmental humidity, material performance, and collect water by adsorbing moisture from air and managing the adsorbed moisture, are attracting increasing attention. For the efficient and scalable production of hygroscopic materials, it is fundamental to carefully select and ingeniously assemble the building blocks that dictate their performance.