Allan: The wicking "space cup" for the astronauts might be slightly relevant: https://www.wired.com/2015/01/coffee-cup-designed-let-astronauts-sip-espress... A Coffee Cup Designed to Let Astronauts Sip Espresso in Space Liz Stinson Design 01.27.15 6:30 am "The cupÂs shape is oddÂ-a little like a plastic baby bootÂ-and was determined by mathematical models. Every curve and geometric shape is designed to encourage the controlled movement of liquid. YouÂll notice a pointed corner in the center of the cup; this strange bit of design is what makes it possible to drink liquids in low gravity. The corner essentially acts like a wick, using surface tension to guide liquid toward your mouth. As soon as an astronaut touches her mouth to the lip of the cup, a capillary connection is formed and the liquid travels up the vessel and forms sippable balls of coffee." At 12:39 PM 4/22/2015, Allan Wechsler wrote:
I have a blue-sky invention, that I have been cherishing in the back of my mind for a decade or so, that is relevant to this discussion.
It's a simple nanotech application -- actually within reach with present methods.
I call it "black tape" because I imagine that is what it would look like. The tape would be coated with a substance, to be designed that would capture ambient water molecules and transport them preferentially in one direction (probably it would be marked with arrows every few centimeters to show the transport direction). When the tape was wetted anywhere, the downstream end would soon start to drip water. The transported water would be reasonably pure, because the surface coating would not be designed to transport, say, salt. One would dip one end in salt water, and the other end would soon start producing fresh water.