Liquid Gating Meniscus‐Shaped Deformable Magnetoelastic Membranes with Self‐Driven Regulation of Gas/Liquid Release

Abstract

pores distributed randomly or uniformly, both gases and liquids can be transported and released in a controlled manner through liquid gate drawing on the partnership of static solid porous membranes with dynamic adaptive liquids. [2] The dynamic interfacial interaction between these two phases contributes to the development and design of sophisticated and versatile liquid gating membrane systems, enabling them to create new opportunities for smart materials and find ways into increasing energy, biomedical, and environmental and resource management scenarios, such as multiphase separation, [3] drug delivery, [4] chemical detection, [5] and chemical reaction. [6] In pursuit of further advancing diversified functions and bringing widespread applications, the common strategy is to develop smart liquid gating membranes in response to a single or multiple synergistic external stimuli, [1a,7] such as light, temperature, electric fields, magnetic fields, pH, and specific ions/molecules. [8] General approaches for the responsive interface design of smart liquid gating membranes have focused on responsive gating liquid design and responsive solid porous membrane design. [2c,9] Recent works have achieved some steps toward this approach. For example, relying on the 1D or 2D stretching deformation of an elastomeric material in response to a mechanical stimulus, a liquid gating elastomeric porous membrane system has Liquid gating membranes have been demonstrated to show unprecedented properties of dynamicity, stability, adaptivity, and stimulus-responsiveness. Most recently, smart liquid gating membranes have attracted increasing attention to bring some brand-new properties for real-world applications, and various environment-driven systems have been created. Here, a self-driven system of a smart liquid gating membrane is further developed by designing a new sytem based on a liquid gating magnetoelastic porous membrane with reversible meniscus-shaped deformations, and it is not subject to the complex gating liquid restriction of magnetorheological fluids. Compared with other systems, this magnetic-responsive self-driven system has the advantage that it provides a universal and convenient way to realize active regulation of gas/liquid release. Experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate the stability, the nonfouling behavior, and the tunability of the system. In addition, this system can be used to perfectly open and close gas transport, and the gating pressure threshold for the liquid release can be reduced under the same conditions. Based on the above capabilities, combined with the fast and 3D contactless operation, it will be of benefit in fields ranging from visible gas/liquid mixture content monitoring and energy-saving multiphase separation, remote fluid release, and beyond.

Self-Oscillating Liquid Gating Membranes with Periodic Gas Transport

“…Therefore, the pores can be reversibly sealed in a closed state and rapidly reconfigured under pressure-driven to generate an open state and liquid-lined pathway. The system shows a flexible and stable switching performance, which breaks through the limitations of traditional solid membrane materials in gas transport control [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Gradient monolayered porous membrane for liquid manipulation: from fabrication to application

“…A monolayered porous membrane is an efficient, stable and durable membrane material because of its good durability and difficult stratication, which plays an important role in selective liquid separation, water collection, unidirectional penetration and intelligent controllable wettability. 31,59,[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91] 4.1 Unidirectional penetration Articial three-dimensional porous membranes with special wettability show directional transport behavior; that is, liquid can be transported from one surface of the membrane to the other, but the reverse transport is blocked. 18,85,92,93 Typically, unidirectional penetration membranes are composed of porous structures with an anisotropic surface structure and opposite wettability owing to the Laplace pressure of the bent liquid itself, which could drive the directional transport of the liquid through the porous structure.…”

“…54,115,116 Ferrouid, a kind of intelligent liquid, can adjust the surface topography under the action of a magnetic eld, which can be used as intelligent liquid gating to control liquid transport on demand. 89,[117][118][119][120] For example, our group prepared a magnetically responsive switchable surface. By injecting magnetic liquid into the micro/nano porous composite membrane, the pore structure on the membrane surface can be quickly closed and opened by a magnetic eld, meaning the liquid transport process can be interrupted and restarted (Fig.…”

“…A monolayered porous membrane is an efficient, stable and durable membrane material because of its good durability and difficult stratication, which plays an important role in selective liquid separation, water collection, unidirectional penetration and intelligent controllable wettability. 31,59,[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]…”

Bioinspired Photo-Responsive Liquid Gating Membrane

“…A variety of external stimulus-responsive liquid gating systems have been developed on the basis of the pressure-driven system. These responsive liquid gating systems will be switched between open and closed states under external stimulus, such as light [ 16 ], optothermal [ 17 ], CO 2 [ 18 ], electric field and magnetic field [ 19 ], and have been successfully applied in the fields of multiphase separation, controllable gas valves and drug delivery [ 20 ]. Among these, as a precise controllable and contactless external stimulus, light shows great potential in developing the smart responsive liquid gating system [ 21 , 22 ].…”