Hairy, Mist-Collecting Plants May Inspire the Creation of Water-Storage Devices

Plants living in arid, mountainous and humid region on our planet often rely on their leaves to obtain the moisture they need for survival by pulling mist straight out of the air. But exactly how plants managed to survive on mist alone has long puzzled scientists. Now, they may have the answer, which could help inspire a whole new way to collect water.

The researchers examined a particular plant, called Lychnis sieboldii, in detail in order to better understand its ability to collect water. This plant has tiny conical "hairs," or microfibers, on the surface of its leaves. These hairs can pull fresh water from the air.

"We zeroed in on the microstructure of the plants via advanced electron microscope technology and recorded the dynamic changes involved in the water collection process in the form of a movie," said Shigeru Yamanaka, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The researchers found that microfibers found within the hairs on the plant appear to be responsible for both water storage and release. Depending on the moisture level in the air, when needed, water stored during wet conditions gets released onto the leaf in dry conditions.

At room temperature, the plant hairs showed changes in their morphology depending on their exposure to water. In a wet state, the hairs became cone-shaped immediately after a water droplet adhered to it. After drying, the cone shapes morphed into a perpendicularly twisted structure at a 90-degree angle. When a droplet of water was placed on the hairs, they reverted back to their initial cone shape, which may be a "shape memory" effect.

"Under dry conditions, the hairs also twisted in a similar manner," said Yamanaka. "They converted to a cone shape, just like Lychnis sieboldii, when exposed to water droplets-suggesting that this strategy of water control is common among plants with similar hairs on their leaves' surfaces."

The findings may one day help scientists create advanced fiber technology to replicate these plant hairs. This, in turn, may enable the development of devices that could be capable of collecting water from the air in arid regions.

The findings are published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

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