Advances in Adsorptive Atmospheric Water Harvesting Technology: Materials, Desorption, and Systems

Compared to traditional atmospheric water harvesting technologies which rely on high humidity environments, adsorptive atmospheric water harvesting technology provides a sustainable solution to water shortage in arid/semi-arid regions through the synergistic process of “adsorption–desorption–condensation”. However, problems such as weak adsorption capacity under low humidity, high desorption energy consumption, and insufficient system energy efficiency restrict the engineering application of adsorptive water harvesting technology. In recent years (2017–2024), researchers have continuously explored around the core demands of adsorptive water harvesting technology: the modification of composite adsorbent materials and bionic interface design to enhance low humidity adsorption, the integration of photothermal synergy and dynamic temperature control to reduce desorption energy consumption, and the optimization of intelligent water harvesting systems to improve overall efficiency. In this review, focusing on the integrated synergy of “material–mechanism–system”, we summarize the research progress in the field of adsorptive atmospheric water harvesting, highlight the material design, photothermal desorption mechanism, and intelligent system optimization strategies, compare the innovation points, limitations, and application potentials of different technical paths, and finally prospect the technical development and application directions such as multi-energy complementary integration and cross-scale system coupling in atmospheric water harvesting technology.