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AssetID: 40715058

Headline: New Solar Material Cleans and Purifies Drinking Water

Caption: FULL WORDS (& a video) AVAILABLE: info@cover-images.com A new solar material that could clean drinking water – and even wick water uphill against gravity – has been developed. Announced Monday (13 July), researchers at New York’s University of Rochester, with funding from the U.S. Army Research Office (ARO), have developed a new aluminium panel that more efficiently concentrates solar energy to evaporate and purify contaminated water. Providing clean water to Soldiers in the field and citizens around the world is essential, and yet one of the world's greatest challenges. Now a new super-wicking and super-light-absorbing aluminium material developed with Army funding, as well as funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation, could change that. The researchers developed a laser processing technology that turns regular aluminium pitch black, making it highly absorptive, as well as super-wicking (it wicks water uphill against gravity). They then applied this super absorptive and super-wicking aluminium for this solar water purification. When placed in water at an angle facing the sun, the surface: Draws a thin film of water upwards over the metal’s surface Retains nearly 100 percent of the energy it absorbs from the sun to quickly heat the water Simultaneously changes the inter-molecular bonds of the water, significantly increasing the efficiency of the evaporation process even further.

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