Technology

How it Works

Developed in the Princeton University lab of Rodney D. Priestley and inspired by the adsorption and release cycle of the pufferfish, AquaPao’s patent-pending photoresponsive solar absorber gel (SAG) has high elasticity to allow for repeated cycles of clean water production from harmful sources and can be powered solely by natural sunlight.

The SAG technology can absorb and release water via hydrophilic/ hydrophobic switching at the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of ~33 C - a temperature readily achieved using natural sunlight.

The application of thermally responsive hydrogels to regulate the transport of water has inherent attributes toward addressing water scarcity. As a practical manner, hydrogel-based systems are both scalable and modular. They also have a low environmental footprint and non-renewable energy requirements.

Please see the “Press” page for a video that shows a prototype device in action at Lake Carnegie in Princeton, NJ.