A hydrochromic porous aromatic framework for self-reporting, high-capacity atmospheric water harvesting
- 1Institute of Materials Chemistry and Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 4 Währinger Straße 42, Vienna, Austria, 1090
- 2Vienna Doctoral School in Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 42, Vienna, Austria, 1090
- 3Institute of Functional Materials and Catalysis, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 8 Währinger Straße 38-42, Vienna, Austria, 1090
Abstract
Atmospheric water harvesting materials are typically optimised for sorption performance alone, despite the practical importance of monitoring sorbent loading. Here, we report a hydrochromic porous aromatic framework that integrates water capture and self-reporting within a single adaptive material. Sulfonation of PAF-1 affords the hydrophilic framework PAF-1-S that adsorbs 0.18 g·g-1 of water at only 10% RH and reaches 1.87 g·g-1 at 90% RH, combining exceptional low-humidity capture with the highest total capacity among the porous sorbents surveyed here. Water adsorption simultaneously induces a reversible, graded colour change, enabling direct visualisation of sorbent loading without external sensing hardware. Spectroscopic analysis indicates that this response arises from hydration-driven acid–base equilibria within the modified framework. Combined with rapid sorption kinetics, low-temperature regeneration and robust cycling stability, these findings establish responsive porous adsorbents as a strategy for intelligent sorption materials.
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BibTeX
@misc{schweng2026hydrochromic,
title = {{A hydrochromic porous aromatic framework for self-reporting, high-capacity atmospheric water harvesting}},
author = {Paul Schweng and Christoph Bendl and Kai C. Hultzsch and Robert T. Woodward},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010256/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010256/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A hydrochromic porous aromatic framework for self-reporting, high-capacity atmospheric water harvesting
AU - Paul Schweng
AU - Christoph Bendl
AU - Kai C. Hultzsch
AU - Robert T. Woodward
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010256/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010256/v1
AB - Atmospheric water harvesting materials are typically optimised for sorption performance alone, despite the practical importance of monitoring sorbent loading. Here, we report a hydrochromic porous aromatic framework that integrates water capture and self-reporting within a single adaptive material. Sulfonation of PAF-1 affords the hydrophilic framework PAF-1-S that adsorbs 0.18 g·g-1 of water at only 10% RH and reaches 1.87 g·g-1 at 90% RH, combining exceptional low-humidity capture with the highest total capacity among the porous sorbents surveyed here. Water adsorption simultaneously induces a reversible, graded colour change, enabling direct visualisation of sorbent loading without external sensing hardware. Spectroscopic analysis indicates that this response arises from hydration-driven acid–base equilibria within the modified framework. Combined with rapid sorption kinetics, low-temperature regeneration and robust cycling stability, these findings establish responsive porous adsorbents as a strategy for intelligent sorption materials.
ER -