A Portable Device Utilizing High-Entropy Perovskite Aerogels for Efficient Energy Conversion from Atmospheric Water

Abstract

Water and energy scarcity present significant global challenges in arid and remote regions, therefore, it is imperative to develop a sustainable approach that harnesses atmospheric moisture and sunlight to generate both water and energy. A portable system was presented, which directly harvests water from atmospheric moisture and generates energy using cellulose aerogels–high-entropy perovskite La(Cr_0.2Mn_0.2Fe_0.2Co_0.2Ni_0.2)O₃–lithium chloride (CA–LB5O3–LiCl). The system captures water from moist air during the night and facilitates solar-driven water evaporation and electrocatalytic water splitting during the day. The CA integrated with LiCl achieves efficient moisture absorption even in arid conditions due to its combined hydrophilic structure and entrapped water. The high-entropy perovskite LB5O3 promotes the lattice oxygen mechanism by weakening the metal–oxygen bond, resulting in an overpotential of 290 mV at 10 mA·cm⁻². Furthermore, its excellent solar absorption and photothermal conversion enhance water uptake to 1.01 g·g⁻¹ at 60% relative humidity (RH) as well as increase water evaporation rates to 2.1 kg·h⁻¹·m^–2. This process simultaneously generates O₂ and H₂ from moist airflow, providing both clean water and green fuel. This flexible and sustainable system offers a new pathway for producing water and energy in resource-scarce environments with potential applications in arid and remote regions.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Perovskite fibers / Aerogel / Solar evaportion / Water harvesting / Oxygen evolution reaction / Engineering / Environmental Engineering / Chemical Sciences / Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(National Natural Science Foundation of China)

Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20231297)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Donghua University, Shanghai, China