Bioinspired materials for water-harvesting: focusing on microstructure designs and the improvement of sustainability

Zhang, Fan; Guo, Zhiguang

doi:10.1039/d0ma00599a

Cited by 29 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 149 publications

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“…Desalinization produces significant quantities of salt, generating hyper-saline regions and salt deserts that sterilize the surrounding area [ 9 , 10 ]. Another solution used to supply water in desert regions is through water harvesting [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. In many remote locations, if liquid water is lacking, atmospheric water can be abundant and harvested to yield liquid water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired and Post-Functionalized 3D-Printed Surfaces with Parahydrophobic Properties

2021

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Desertification is a growing risk for humanity. Studies show that water access will be the leading cause of massive migration in the future. For this reason, significant research efforts are devoted to identifying new sources of water. Among this work, one of the more interesting strategies takes advantage of atmospheric non-liquid water using water harvesting. Various strategies exist to harvest water, but many suffer from low yield. In this work, we take inspiration from a Mexican plant (Echeveria pulvinate) to prepare a material suitable for future water harvesting applications. Observation of E. pulvinate reveals that parahydrophobic properties are favorable for water harvesting. To mimic these properties, we leveraged a combination of 3D printing and post-functionalization to control surface wettability and obtain parahydrophobic properties. The prepared surfaces were investigated using IR and SEM. The surface roughness and wettability were also investigated to completely describe the elaborated surfaces and strongly hydrophobic surfaces with parahydrophobic properties are reported. This new approach offers a powerful platform to develop parahydrophobic features with desired three-dimensional shape.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired and Post-Functionalized 3D-Printed Surfaces with Parahydrophobic Properties

2021

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“…These applications require dynamic wetting that involves liquid droplet deposition and directing it away from the surface. Generally, a hydrophilic surface is required for liquid droplet deposition, and a hydrophobic surface is needed to channel the deposited liquid elsewhere 61 . We further investigated the nanoimprinted PNIPAM/PVDF film's wetting dynamic under a simulated mist environment using a custom‐built setup (Figure 8a); characterization methods describe the setup details.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tuning response amplitude in nanoimprinted thermoresponsive polymer blend

Ranganath

Vellingiri

Low

2021

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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We demonstrate the potential of thermoresponsive poly N‐(isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) based surfaces in achieving a low‐energy approach to modulate surface wetting for applications such as fog harvesting and anti‐fogging. Alternative to grafting methods, we use a two‐step approach for tuning the response amplitude. First, we blend PNIPAM with a chemically non‐reactive poly (vinylidene fluoride), PVDF (1/3, 1/1, 3/1 by weight). Second, thermal nanoimprint lithography is used to create micro (3, 5, 10, and 20 μm) and nano‐scale (100 and 200 nm) pillars. Nano‐patterned surfaces show a response amplitude of ~30°–50° compared to ~15°–30°, observed for the micro‐patterned surface. X‐ray photo‐electron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis confirms the reduction of polyvinylidene fluoride phase domains and enrichment of PNIPAM on the nano‐patterned surface. A real‐time dynamic mist condensation study showed that the nano‐patterned blend exhibited a lower temperature range (34/41°C) for on/off (wetting/drying) state compared to an unpatterned blend (37/50°C).

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“…According to Volmer’s nucleation theory, droplets form many orders of magnitude faster on a hydrophilic surface than on a hydrophobic surface. 15 , 16 Atmospheric water droplets captured on a biological surface can be transported from one point to another, and this process is known as directional movement of droplets. 17 Many natural materials have intriguing surface structures that are capable of capturing and transporting liquid with special wettability features.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mangifera indica Leaf (MIL) as a Novel Material in Atmospheric Water Collection

Foday

Bai

2022

ACS Omega

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Here, Mangifera indica leaves (MILs) have been used to collect atmospheric water for the first time. This novel material has been viewed by mankind as environmental waste and is mostly discarded or incinerated, causing environmental pollution. By turning waste into wealth, MILs have proven resourceful and can help ameliorate the water crisis, especially in tropical countries. The unprecedented water collection result is enough to describe MILs as an ideal material for atmospheric water collection when compared to other natural plants. Both the physical and chemical surface morphologies were extensively characterized. This comparative study shows that MIL surface droplet termination and hydrophilic nature differ from those of other materials, with the apex playing a key role in the roll-off of the droplet. The surface wettability and its interaction with the droplet are of keen interest in this study.

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Bioinspired materials for water-harvesting: focusing on microstructure designs and the improvement of sustainability

Abstract: In recent years, environmental pollution issues have gradually increased the cost for humans to obtain clean water. Inspired by nature creatures, collecting water from the atmosphere has become a hot...

Cited by 29 publications

References 149 publications

Bioinspired and Post-Functionalized 3D-Printed Surfaces with Parahydrophobic Properties

Bioinspired and Post-Functionalized 3D-Printed Surfaces with Parahydrophobic Properties

Tuning response amplitude in nanoimprinted thermoresponsive polymer blend

Mangifera indica Leaf (MIL) as a Novel Material in Atmospheric Water Collection

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