Research and application status on biomimetic materials in the water harvesting area

Nowadays,water shortage has become a severe issue all over the world, especially in some arid and undeveloped areas. In nature, many creatures can collect water from fog which can provide a source of inspiration to develop novel and functional water-collecting materials. Recently, as an increasingly hot research topic, bioinspired materials with water collection have captured vast scientific attentions into both practical applications and fundamental researches. In this paper, the mechanism of water collection of Namib desert beetle, cactus and spider silk was summarized, and the synthesis, function and water collection efficiency of corresponding biomimetic materials were described, as well as new developments in recent years. Finally, conclusions and outlook concerning the main problems and development trends of bionic water-collecting materials in the process of preparation and application were presented.