Enhancement of Water Collection and Transport in Bioinspired Triangular Patterns from Combined Fog and Condensation

Abstract Living nature exists in arid deserts in spite of scarce water supply. In most cases, water supply is supplemented by fog and condensation. Water collection from fog is a promising method to supplement fresh water supply. Due to the short duration of fog, attempts should be made to increase the fog water collection before it vanishes. In addition, the condensation process can be added to increase the water collection. In this study, water collection was carried out using both fog and condensation. The water collection process in the combined system was investigated on surfaces with bioinspired triangular patterns. As the patterned surface was cooled to 5°C in the fog flow, because of condensation, the water collection rate increased to approximately two times the amount collected in the fog alone. The approach to combine the collection of fog and condensation can be used to develop efficient water collection systems.