Designing of anisotropic gradient surfaces for directional liquid transport: Fundamentals, construction, and applications

Vampire bat's tongue-inspired superhydrophilic flexible origami channel for directional and spontaneous liquid manipulation

“…Particularly advantageous in arid regions with frequent fog resources, this approach presents a viable option for local communities facing water scarcity. 49–51 In this study, we propose a topological fog collector upon the foundation of a biomimetic superhydrophilic origami channel, which is inspired by the vampire bat's feeding mechanism. Owing to its superior liquid transport and collection capabilities, the topological SFOC is utilized in the domain of fog harvesting.…”

Multifunctional Electrostatic Droplet Manipulation on the Femtosecond Laser-Prepared Slippery Surfaces

“…8,9 Although the gradient microstructures can achieve spontaneous and contactless droplet transport, the droplets only move a short distance, and the motion trajectory is also fixed to the gradient direction and unchangeable. 8,10,11 Such droplet manipulation is irreversible (i.e., cannot move back). The development of a droplet movement method with a controllable direction and unrestricted distance is of great significance for droplet manipulation applications.…”

“…However, in most applications, the solid surfaces are not allowed to tilt. By constructing a chemical wetting gradient or geometric gradient on the solid surface, the induced asymmetric three-phase contact line can produce an asymmetric force applied to droplets so that droplets will spontaneously move along the direction of gradient. , Although the gradient microstructures can achieve spontaneous and contactless droplet transport, the droplets only move a short distance, and the motion trajectory is also fixed to the gradient direction and unchangeable. ,, Such droplet manipulation is irreversible (i.e., cannot move back). The development of a droplet movement method with a controllable direction and unrestricted distance is of great significance for droplet manipulation applications.…”

Machine learning predicts atomistic structures of multielement solid surfaces for heterogeneous catalysts in variable environments

“…The surfaces of solids play central roles in many physical and chemical applications, such as photoelectric devices, anticorrosion coatings, fuel cells, and heterogeneous catalysis. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 In heterogeneous catalysis, in particular, the properties and performances of surfaces depend on their composition and atomic-scale structures in working environments, which usually involve finite temperatures and pressures. Under such conditions, particle exchange may occur between the surface and the gaseous or liquid environment by chemical interactions such as oxidation 7 or reduction, 8 leading to the alteration of surface structures, which can significantly affect how the surfaces function, such as catalytic activity and selectivity.…”