An ultra-hygroscopic polymer for high-efficiency dehumidification

Desiccant-coated heat exchangers (DCHEs) offer the potential to effectively remove moisture from the environment. However, the low adsorption capacity, slow kinetics, and high energy consump-tion of existing desiccants limit the dehumidification efficiency of DCHEs. Thus, we synthesize an ultra-hygroscopic polymer by introducing lithium chloride into a curdlan matrix to form LiCl@Cur and developed a high-efficiency LiCl@Cur-coated heat exchanger (CLCHE). This developed LiCl@Cur has remarkable sorption capac-ities of 2.65 g/g and fast kinetic 1.84 3 10-4 s-1 at 30 degrees C/30% rela-tive humidity (RH). Our work shows that the dew point of humid air can drop by up to 30 degrees through only a 15 mm CLCHE channel. We also demonstrate that curdlan-based desiccant can be used for dehumidification, and its ultra-hygroscopic performance enables efficient deep dehumidification, which has bright prospects for ap-plications in fields such as electrode production and green building.