Affordable, biodegradable, and scalable
Hao stressed that the device, despite being small, could be ideal for emergency situations, such as natural disasters that disrupt water supplies, provided the team can scale up and optimize the modular design.
“The current demonstration unit size is 15 cubic millimeters,” Hao said. “It would be very easy to prepare a larger unit, or we can use the units to form an array.”
According to Hou, the device continued to function after being stored at – 4 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 days, demonstrating freeze resistance, and maintained stable performance over repeated use with minimal efficiency loss.