Nanoporous sponges for atmospheric water harvesting

水资源短缺威胁着世界上越来越多的人--来自不同地区的例子突显了这一问题的严重性。开普敦(南非)在2018年实施了严格的用水限制，以应对水资源短缺。在更靠近国内的地方，魁北克于2020年夏天实施了用水限制，第一民族社区多年来一直面临淡水问题。这些例子表明，缺水是一个无处不在的问题，即使在加拿大，气候变化也加剧了这一问题。需要替代水源，包括从大气中进行吸附，以确保淡水供应。纳米多孔海绵(NPS)是通过低成本材料热解合成的新型碳基吸附剂，具有与金属有机骨架(MOF)体系相当的性能，但成本显著降低。这种材料是蒙特利尔理工学院与麦吉尔大学和奥恩纳米技术公司合作开发的，从2017年开始进行合作研究。拟议的研究旨在通过解决关键的基本问题来弥合实验室规模的原型和最终用户接受之间的差距。具体地说，我们的目标是：(1)创建NPS合成放大的路线图，并评估改进合成和功能化的新方法；(2)通过理论建模和实验验证，确定影响水捕获和后续释放的关键参数，并量化能源需求；以及(3)基于NPS技术制造和测试下一代水捕获原型，并将其与其他吸附剂进行基准比较，同时验证水质。这个高风险、高回报的项目首先将影响加拿大的高危人口优先社区--在社区领导人和精通技术吸收的社会科学家的合作下，第一民族社区将是原型评估的关键参与者。加拿大经济将感受到进一步的影响，这既是通过直接市场，也是通过在先进材料部门创造高价值的就业机会，以及将加拿大确立为水资源生产领域的领导者，致力于帮助受缺水影响的弱势社区。

Water scarcity threatens more and more people in the world - examples from various regions highlight the severity of this issue. Cape Town (South Africa) imposed stringent water restrictions in 2018 in response to shortages. Closer to home, water restrictions were put into place in Quebec in the summer of 2020, and First Nation communities have been confronted with fresh water issues for years. These examples illustrate that water scarcity is a ubiquitous issue, even in Canada, and this is exacerbated by climate change. Alternate water sources, including adsorption from the atmosphere, are needed to secure a fresh water supply. Nanoporous sponges (NPS) are new carbon-based adsorbents synthesized via the pyrolysis of low-cost materials, achieving comparable performance to metal organic framework (MOF) based systems, but at significantly lower cost. This material was developed at Polytechnique Montreal, in partnership with McGill University and Awn Nanotech, via a collaborative research endeavour started in 2017. The proposed research aims to bridge the gap between lab scale prototyping and end-user uptake by addressing key fundamental issues. Specifically, we aim to: (1) Create a roadmap for NPS synthesis scale-up and evaluate new methods for improved synthesis and functionalization; (2) Identify the key parameters impacting water capture and subsequent release through both theoretical modelling and experimental validation, and quantify energy requirements; and (3) Fabricate and test next generations of water capture prototypes based on NPS technology and benchmark them against other adsorbents, while validating water quality. This high-risk, high-reward project will first and foremost impact Canada's at-risk population - First Nation communities will be key participants in prototype evaluation, with the collaboration of community leaders and social scientists well-versed in technology uptake. Further effects will be felt in the Canadian economy, both through direct markets, but also through the creation of high-value jobs in the advanced materials sector, and the establishment of Canada as a leader in the field of water resource generation, committed to helping vulnerable communities affected by water scarcity.