New research from UT Austin engineers may help provide critical access to clean water in disaster situations and water crises, as well as poverty-stricken areas and developing countries. A team led by Guihua Yu in the Cockrell School of Engineering has developed solar-powered technology that relies on hydrogels – gel-polymer hybrid materials designed to be “super sponges” – that can retain large amounts of water. As described in a recent issue of the journal Advanced Materials, the sponges have been successfully tested in humid and dry weather conditions. Read more about this research and watch a video, or read articles in The Engineer and Popular Mechanics.