Hydrogel origami for atmospheric water harvesting

Last updated on Jun 12, 2026
Image credit: Nature Water

Shape-morphing hydrogels provide a promising route toward passive and scalable atmospheric water harvesting. This project explores how hydrogel mechanics, origami architecture, and environmental responsiveness can be integrated to create metre-scale panels capable of capturing and releasing water from air.

By combining material design with structural programming, hydrogel origami offers a strategy for adaptive water-harvesting systems with potential applications in sustainability, climate resilience, and resource-limited environments.

hydrogels atmospheric water harvesting origami materials sustainable materials
Soft Responsive Materials Laboratory (SRM-Lab)

My research focuses on developing new stimuli-responsive polymeric microstructured surfaces and microactuators—leveraging fundamental principles of polymer science, chemical synthesis, mechanics, and advanced nano/microfabrication techniques—for applications in miniaturized soft robotics as well as optical and mechanical meta-devices.