Dai Qingwen, Du Chengxuan, Huang Wei, Wang Xiaolei
National Key Laboratory of Helicopter Aeromechanics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China.
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Apr;12(15):e2412483. doi: 10.1002/advs.202412483. Epub 2025 Jan 31.
In this work, the regulation of liquid self-transport is achieved through architectural and thermal coupling, transitioning from free surfaces to open channels. Hierarchical structures inspired by the skin of a Texas horned lizard are designed, with the primary structure of wedged grooves and the secondary structure of capillary crura. This design enables advantages including long-distance self-transport, liquid storage and active reflux management on free surfaces, directional transportation, synthesis and detection of reagents in confined spaces, as well as controllable motion and enhanced heat dissipation in open channels. The regulation capacity can be precisely controlled by adjusting the secondary capillary crura and external thermal gradients. The regulation mechanism is further elucidated through microscopic flow observation and a deduced theoretical model. The proposed structures are expected to introduce a new concept for designing lubrication systems, microfluidic chips, methods for chemical synthesis, and heat transfer in the future.
在这项工作中，通过结构与热耦合实现液体的自运输调控，从自由表面过渡到开放通道。设计了受德州角蜥皮肤启发的分层结构，其主要结构为楔形凹槽，次要结构为毛细支脚。这种设计具有诸多优势，包括长距离自运输、自由表面上的液体存储和主动回流管理、定向运输、受限空间内试剂的合成与检测，以及开放通道内的可控运动和增强的散热。通过调整次要毛细支脚和外部热梯度，可以精确控制调控能力。通过微观流动观察和推导的理论模型进一步阐明了调控机制。预计所提出的结构将为未来润滑系统、微流控芯片、化学合成方法和热传递的设计引入新的概念。
