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Materials science

Cracks help membranes to stay hydrated

Membranes have been prepared with a cracked coating that prevents them from drying out in low-humidity conditions — a boon for devices, such as fuel cells, that need hydrated membranes to function. See Letter p.480

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Figure 1: An ion-exchange membrane that responds to humidity.

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Correspondence to Jovan Kamcev or Benny D. Freeman.

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Kamcev, J., Freeman, B. Cracks help membranes to stay hydrated. Nature 532, 445–446 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/532445a

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