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Project name: Biomimetic silicon microstructures for atmospheric water harvester

Project Acronym: BioSiAWH

Project type (funder/program): Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Proof of concept

Project no.: 1967/2024

Duration: one year

Project website:       

Participating Scientific Research Organizations:

  • University of Belgrade - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy (ICTM) – SRO

Principal investigator: dr Milče Smiljanić


Team members: dr Katarina Cvetanović, dr Miloš Vorkapić, Olivera Živković

Without water, there is no life. Climate changes, excessive pollution and rise of population on the Earth will eventually cause global shortage of fresh water for drinking, irrigation and sanitation. At the same time, certain areas already suffer from a lack of water, according to the official United Nation data. These serious threats to the water supply urge the development of the new and sustainable solutions. Atmospheric water harvester (AWH) is a promising solution for increasing the water supply using the abundance of water in the air. In addition, AWH opens up the possibility for distributed provision of drinking water at locations that are not connected to the centralized infrastructure, allowing an uninterrupted water supply in the case of natural disasters, remote villages, military operations, etc. Our innovative proposal of dew harvesting is the first solution that will utilize biomimetic designs on silicon surfaces. The derived optimal parameters and silicon shapes will determine design and fabrication of a minimal viable product for water harvesting and irrigation.