Prof. Shu Yang, University of Pennsylvania
Scalable, Geometric Sustainable Materials for Highly Efficient Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Water is considered the most consumed material. It is not only important to regulate human body temperature, but plays an important role in heat transfer for heating and cooling. Atmospheric water vapor, an abundant and renewable resource, offers an opportunity to rejuvenate the currently diminishing water supply. However, many existing approaches face limitations such as low water uptake, slow sorption kinetics, especially for low relative humidity conditions, the requirement of energy inputs for absorption /desorption, or being non-scalable. Here, I will discuss the design and manufacturing of scalable, geometric materials for efficient atmospheric water harvesting, including aerodynamics-assisted, efficient, and scalable kirigami fog collectors, and the design and assembly of raspberry-like microbeads of hybrid hydrogel desiccants for rapid moisture capturing through nano-/micro-confinement. Furthermore, we demonstrate outdoor water collection by developing a passive solar-driven prototype, where the photothermally responsive desiccant microbeads are packed on sunflower-petal-inspired disks.
Bio:
Shu Yang is a Joseph Bordogna Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Her group is interested in synthesis, fabrication, and assembly of soft and hybrid materials; dynamic tuning of their sizes, shapes, and assembled structures, and use of geometry to create highly flexible, super-conformable, shape-changing, and energy-efficient materials. Yang received her B.S. degree from Fudan University, and Ph.D. degree from Cornell University. She worked at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies as a Member of Technical Staff before joining Penn. She was recognized by ACS Langmuir lectureship, Inventor of the Year at Penn, George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research from Penn Engineering. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Materials Research Society (MRS), American Chemical Society (ACS), American Physical Society (APS), and National Academy of Inventors (NAI).