Unidirectional transport of both wettable and nonwettable liquids on an asymmetrically concave structured surface  

作　　者：Zhongxue Tang Kang Luan Bojie Xu Huan Liu 

机构地区：[1]Research Institute for Frontier Science,School of Physics,Beihang University,Beijing 100191,China [2]Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education,School of Chemistry,Beihang University,Haidian District,Beijing 100191,China

出　　处：《Fundamental Research》2024年第3期557-562,共6页自然科学基础研究（英文版）

基　　金：financially supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(22125201);and the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China(22105013,21872002).

摘　　要：Unidirectional liquid transport(UDLT)has been widely used in various fields as an important process for transferring both mass and energy.However,UDLT driven by a structural gradient has been witnessed for a long time only in wettable liquids.For nonwettable liquids,UDLT can hardly proceed merely by a structural gradient.Herein,we propose an asymmetrically concave structured surface(AMC-surface),featuring tip-to-base periodically arranged pyramid-shaped concave structures with a certain degree of overlap,which enables the UDLT of both wettable and nonwettable liquids.For wettable liquids,the capillary force along each corner leads to the UDLT pointing toward the base side of the concave pyramid,while for nonwettable liquids,the UDLT is attributable to the static liquid pressure overwhelming the repulsive Laplace pressure induced by the asymmetric grooves and overlapping part.As a result,both wettable and nonwettable liquids transport spontaneously and unidirectionally on the AMC-surface with no energy input.Moreover,the concave structure endows good mechanical stability and can be easily prepared using a facile nail-punching approach over a large area.We also demonstrated its application in a continuous chemical reaction in a confined area.We envision that the unique UDLT behavior on the as-developed AMC-surface will shed new light on the programmable manipulation of various liquids.

关 键 词：Unidirectional liquidtransport Asymmetrically concave structure Capillary force Laplace pressure WETTABILITY 

分 类 号：O17[理学—数学]