According to Solar Daily, the device is the result of the work done by scientists at Princeton University, who managed to create this gel-based water filter that works with solar power and has the ability to remove impurities such as microplastics, bacteria and even heavy metals.

Compared to the first generation of the device, which was demonstrated back in 2021, this newly-improved model has a four-times better filtering capacity.

A single square meter of the gel-like substance can produce around 3.8 liters of water in just 10 minutes, which can be impressive if scaled and can help billions of people get access to clean water in an affordable and simple way.

Xiaohui Xu, a presidential postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University and the study's first author, said that "our first solar absorber gel already had strong performance. But we wanted to continue making the device even more efficient at filtering water."

When exposed to temperatures of below 33 degrees Celsius, the gel absorbs water from a source such as a lake, but when the temperature goes above 33 degrees, it begins to release the clean and filtered water.

The scientists who developed the device say that the performance increase is due to structural changes done to facilitate water transport.

Nehemie Guillomaitre, study co-author, added that treatments help the device last longer and have better performance.

She said that "having anti-fouling properties helps the gel last longer. There is less of a need to worry about oils and bacterial films accumulating on the gel's surface over time and lowering its efficiency."

"Ideally, this technology could one day be used by anyone concerned about their water quality, regardless of where they live", Guillomaitre added.