Temperature‐Triggered Collection and Release of Water from Fogs by a Sponge‐Like Cotton Fabric (Adv. Mater. 8/2013)

A sponge-like cotton fabric autonomously collects and releases water from fogs, triggered by day- and night temperature variations, typically encountered in dry areas. The reversible switching between absorbing-superhydrophilic/releasing-superhydrophobic states results from structural changes of a temperature-responsive polymer grafted on the highly rough fabric-surface, as reported by John H. Xin, A. Catarina C. Esteves and co-workers on page 1150. This breakthough may help to reduce water depletion in dry areas.