Preparation of gradient wettability surface by anodization depositing copper hydroxide on copper surface

A facile route for preparation of gradient wettability surface on copper substrate with contact angle changing from 90.3°to4.2°was developed.The Cu（OH）2 nanoribbon arrays were electrochemically deposited on copper foil via a modified anodization technology,and the growth degree and density of the Cu（OH）2 arrays may be controlled varying with position along the substrate by slowly adding aqueous solution of KOH into the two-electrode cell of an anodization system to form the gradient surface.The prepared surface was water resistant and thermal stable,which could keep its gradient wetting property after being immersed in water bath at 100℃ for 10 h.The results of scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,X-ray diffraction（XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS） demonstrate that the distribution of Cu（OH）2 nanoribbon arrays on copper surface are responsible for the gradient wettability.

Wettability Gradient-Induced Diode:MXene-Engineered Membrane for Passive-Evaporative Cooling

Thermoregulatory textiles,leveraging high-emissivity structural materials,have arisen as a promising candidate for personal cooling management;however,their advancement has been hindered by the underperformed water moisture transportation capacity,which impacts on their thermophysiological comfort.Herein,we designed a wettability-gradient-induced-diode(WGID)membrane achieving by MXene-engineered electrospun technology,which could facilitate heat dissipation and moisture-wicking transportation.As a result,the obtained WGID membrane could obtain a cooling temperature of 1.5℃ in the“dry”state,and 7.1℃ in the“wet”state,which was ascribed to its high emissivity of 96.40%in the MIR range,superior thermal conductivity of 0.3349 W m^(-1) K^(-1)(based on radiation-and conduction-controlled mechanisms),and unidirectional moisture transportation property.The proposed design offers an approach for meticulously engineering electrospun membranes with enhanced heat dissipation and moisture transportation,thereby paving the way for developing more efficient and comfortable thermoregulatory textiles in a high-humidity microenvironment.

Droplet Self-Driven Characteristics on Wedge-Shaped Surface with Composite Gradients:A Molecular Dynamics Study

The self-driven behavior of droplets on a functionalized surface,coupled with wetting gradient and wedge patterns,is systematically investigated using molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The effects of key factors,including wedge angle,wettability,and wetting gradient,on the droplet self-driving effect is revealed from the nanoscale.Results indicate that the maximum velocity of droplets on hydrophobic wedge-shaped surfaces increases with the wedge angle,accompanied by a rapid attenuation of driving force;however,the average velocity decreases with the increased wedge angle.Conversely,droplet movement on hydrophilic wedge-shaped surfaces follows the opposite trend,particularly in terms of average velocity compared to the hydrophobic case.Both wedge-shaped and composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces are found to induce droplet motion,with droplets exhibiting higher speeds and distances on hydrophobic surfaces compared to hydrophilic surfaces,regardless of surface type.Importantly,the inclusion of wettability gradients significantly influences droplet motion,with hydrophobic composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces showing considerable improvements in droplet speed and distance compared to their hydrophilic counterparts.By combining suitable wettability gradients with wedge-shaped surfaces,the limitations inherent in the wettability gradient range and wedge-shaped configuration can be mitigated,thereby enhancing droplet speed and distance.The findings presented in this paper offer valuable insights for the design of advanced functional surfaces tailored for manipulating droplets in real-world applications.

Unidirectional movement behavior of underwater bubbles on the wettability gradient mesh via asymmetrical bounce

The impact of underwater bubbles on solid surfaces with a gradient wettability is important for fundamental science and technological applications. Despite progress in the translational motion of underwater bubbles on asymmetric surface, a fundamental dynamic understanding of asymmetrical bounce behavior of the underwater bubble needs to be further improved.Herein, we investigate asymmetrical bounce of underwater bubbles after impacting the wettability gradient copper mesh surface.Asymmetrical bounce of the underwater bubble on the wettability gradient mesh(WGM) surface is composed by asymmetrical spread in the spread process and asymmetrical recoil in the recoil process, which induce the unidirectional movement behavior.Additionally, effective bubble-size manipulation can be easily implemented due to different volumes of bubbles remaining at different locations of WGM surface. We envision that this work will provide a new understanding of asymmetrical bounce behavior of the underwater bubble on the wettability gradient surface, and propose a novel and feasible strategy for constructing the underwater bubble manipulation system.

On the spreading behavior of a droplet on a circular cylinder using the lattice Boltzmann method

The study of a droplet spreading on a circular cylinder under gravity was carried out using the pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann high-density ratios multiphase model with a non-ideal Peng–Robinson equation of state. The calculation results indicate that the motion of the droplet on the cylinder can be divided into three stages: spreading, sliding, and aggregating.The contact length and contact time of a droplet on a cylindrical surface can be affected by factors such as the wettability gradient of the cylindrical wall, the Bond number, and droplet size. Furthermore, phase diagrams showing the relationship between Bond number, cylinder wall wettability gradient, and contact time as well as maximum contact length for three different droplet sizes are given. A theoretical foundation for additional research into the heat and mass transfer process between the droplet and the cylinder can be established by comprehending the variable rules of maximum contact length and contact time.

Engineered wettability-gradient porous structure enabling efficient water manipulation in regenerative fuel cells

Regenerative fuel cells can operate alternately as an electrolyzer and as a fuel cell,frequently involving water as a reactant or product.Modifying the electrode surface to manipulate water can prevent electrode flooding and enhance the electrode's mass transfer efficiency by facilitating better contact with gaseous reactants.However,conventional electrodes face difficulties in allowing water droplets to penetrate in a single direction leaving electrodes.In this work to address this issue,a wettability gradient electrode is designed and fabricated for efficient water manipulation in regenerative fuel cells.The findings demonstrate that the water removal strategy in the electrolyzer mode yields the highest ammonia yield and Faradaic efficiency of 3.39×10-10 mol s-1 cm-2 and 0.49%,respectively.Furthermore,in the fuel cell mode,the discharging process sustains for approximately 20.5 h,which is six times longer than the conventional strategy.The ability to sustain the discharging process for extended periods is particularly advantageous in regenerative fuel cells,as it enables the cells to operate for longer periods without the need for regeneration.

Droplet Condensation and Transport Properties on Multiple Composite Surface:A Molecular Dynamics Study

To investigate the microscopicmechanism underlying the influence of surface-chemical gradient on heat andmass recovery,a molecular dynamicsmodel including droplet condensation and transport process has been developed to examine heat and mass recovery performance.This work aimed at identify optimal conditions for enhancing heat and mass recovery through the combination of wettability gradient and nanopore transport.For comprehensive analysis,the structure in the simulation was categorized into three distinct groups:a homogeneous structure,a small wettability gradient,and a large wettability gradient.The homogeneous surface demonstrated low efficiency in heat and mass transfer,as evidenced by filmwise condensation.In contrast,the surface with a small wettability gradient experienced a transition from dropwise condensation to filmwise condensation,resulting in a gradual decrease in the efficiency of vapor heat and mass transfer.Only a large wettability gradient could achieve periodic and efficient dropwise condensation heat and mass transfer which was attributed to the rapid droplet coalescence and transport to the nanopore after condensing on the cold surface.

Trilayered Fibrous Dressing with Wettability Gradient for Spontaneous and Directional Transport of Massive Exudate and Wound Healing Promotion

Excessive exudate at wound sites increases treatment difficulty and severely decelerates the healing process.In wound exu-date management,dressings with unidirectional liquid transport capability have exhibited enormous potential.However,it remains challenging to improve the one-way liquid transport efficiency.Herein,a trilayered fibrous dressing is constructed by sequentially electrospinning polyurethane(PU)and polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)onto cotton fabric.Through hot pressing,a stable wettability gradient is formed across the PVDF/PU/cotton dressing due to the melting and bridging of PU nanofib-ers.The trilayered dressing exhibited rapid unidirectional transport with water penetrating from the hydrophobic side to the hydrophilic side in 6 s.The hydrostatic pressure from the hydrophilic side to the hydrophobic side is 569%higher than that from the hydrophobic side to the hydrophilic side,indicating that the dressing has a profound unidirectional conductivity.In vivo experiments demonstrates that the trilayered dressing can accelerate the wound healing process,especially in the early stages of wound occurrence,by quickly draining the excessive exudate.This study provides a new method to construct wound dressings with wettability gradients,which are advantageous for efficient exudate removal.

Numerical Study on Surface Wettability Gradient Enhanced Ultra-Thin Loop Heat Pipe

Loop heat pipes(LHPs),as high-efficiency heat dissipation components,are considered to be superior thermal conductors beyond any known materials.To apply LHPs to mobile electronics,a small,thin and compact system needs to be designed.However,with the trend of miniaturization,the heat transfer performance of LHPs degrades rapidly due to the significant increase of working fluid backflow resistance.This work aims to propose an effective solution to this problem.In this work,the surface wettability gradient(SWG)is introduced into the ultra-thin LHP,and the influence of SWG on mass and heat transfer performance is studied comprehensively by using a transient three-dimensional numerical model.It is observed that the SWG can significantly increase the vapor-liquid circulation efficiency and improve heat transfer performance.Numerical experiments have been performed to compare the two kinds of LHPs with and without SWG.At the heat load of 4–6 W,the start-up time for LHP with SWG is shortened by 11.5%and the thermal resistance is reduced by about 44.3%,compared with the LHP without SWG.This work provides a solution for the performance-degradation problem caused by miniaturization,as a numerical reference for experiments.

Electrospinning Janus Nanofibrous Membrane for Unidirectional Liquid Penetration and Its Applications

Janus membrane with opposite wettability on its two sides has witnessed an explosion of interest in the field of liquid spontaneous and directional transport for their promising prospect.The advances in fabrication technology and natural bionics have brought remarkable progress for the development of Janus materials.Among the exciting progress,the micro/nanofabrication technique of electrospinning shows advantages in constructing thin porous fibrous membrane materials with controllable surface wettability and hierarchical structures.Here,a brief review of bioinspired Janus membrane for unidirectional liquid penetration fabricated by electrospinning is presented,and the underlying scientific mechanism is discussed with an emphasis on the materials design involving asymmetric surface wettability and micro-topology structure.An overview of recent emerging applications is also reviewed,with special attentions to liquid separation,water collection,distillation,and smart textile,etc.As researchers keep to develop more efficient strategies on designing new Janus membrane with higher performances,it has become increasingly important to understand the mechanism of liquid moving dynamics at the asymmetric interface in order to better recognize the scientific limitations currently hindering the field development.At last,the challenges currently faced and possible strategies on developing new Janus membranes for optimization and engineering in the future are proposed.