Bio-inspired Fog Harvesting Fabric Materials: Principle, Fabrication, Engineering Applications and Challenges

The shortage of freshwater has become a global challenge, exacerbated by global warming and the rapid growth of the world’s population. Researchers across various fields have made numerous attempts to efficiently collect freshwater for human use. These efforts include seawater desalination through reverse osmosis or distillation, sewage treatment technologies, and atmospheric water harvesting. However, after thoroughly exploring traditional freshwater harvesting methods, it has become clear that bio-inspired fog harvesting technology offers new prospects due to its unique advantages of efficiency and sustainability. This paper systematically introduces the current principles of fog harvesting and wettability mechanism found in nature. It reviews the research status of combining bionic fog harvesting materials with textile science from two distinct dimensions. Additionally, it describes the practical applications of fog harvesting materials in agriculture, industry, and domestic water use, analyzes their prospects and feasibility in engineering projects, discusses potential challenges in practical applications, and envisions future trends and directions for the development of these materials.