Fog Collection by Mimicking Nature

Abstract

Research on fog harvesting for drinking water is uncommon because it is not a continuous climatic phenomenon and concerns only arid and semi-arid regions abundant with fog. This paper proposes a new biomimetic-inspired method of harvesting fog by mimicking the skin of the Namib desert beetle. Stainless steel mesh panels are subjected to ultra shortening and annealing to create a hierarchical nano/micro hybrid surface, and an emulsion of PTFE, polyvinyl acetate and sodium benzene sulfonate is sprayed over the steel mesh. This produces hydrophilic nano/micro mounts and hydrophobic troughs. This method, although initially costly, offers a sustainable fog collecting system which can be adopted for arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan and other similar regions.