The gel material is cheap to make, and a single kilogram can produce liters of water in seemingly dry conditions. Reading time 4 minutes As the world becomes increasingly hot, fresh and clean water is ...

Super absorbent polymers (SAPs) have quietly become one of the most influential material innovations of the modern era. Known for their extraordinary ability to absorb and retain large amounts of ...

Engineers find the hydrogel polyethylene glycol (PEG) doubles its water absorption as temperatures climb from 25 to 50 C, and could be useful for passive cooling or water harvesting in warm climates.

Q: You mentioned in an article once about using polymer crystals as a way to help with keeping potted plants watered. I've never tried them. Do they really do much good? Are they worth the price? They ...

New Pig’s Pig Water Absorbent Mat Pads are designed to instantly soak up small pools and puddles of water caused by spills to help prevent equipment and structure damage as well as slip and fall ...

From carbon nanotubes to sawdust and cellulose to fern-inspired nano-hair, a multitude of materials are showing great promise for cleaning up oil spills. Now researchers have turned to waste products ...

Plants may have no muscles, but they can grow upwards against the strain of gravity and their roots can even shift soil and rocks – because their cells can absorb water to form strong structures. Now ...

The vast majority of absorbent materials will lose their ability to retain water as temperatures rise. This is why our skin starts to sweat and why plants dry out in the heat. Even materials that are ...