Meng Qing'an, Li Zhangcan, Pang Jie, Yang Kaicheng, Zhou Junjie
College of Aviation Engineering, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Chengdu 641419, China.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2025 Apr 3;10(4):223. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10040223.
The development of efficient directional liquid transport systems has become a central focus in numerous research and engineering fields. Natural organisms have evolved intricate structures that facilitate the controlled movement of liquids on planar surfaces. These natural mechanisms offer insights into creating sustainable, energy-efficient technologies that mimic these natural adaptations. The purpose of biomimetic directional liquid transport is to harness the principles found in nature to design systems that can autonomously manage the flow of liquids. One of the core objectives is to achieve efficient liquid directional movement without the need for external energy sources or mechanical pumps. In this article, we review the typical models of natural systems with directional liquid transport on planar surfaces. Next, we reveal the physical mechanism by which surface chemical gradients, wettability gradients, and geometric gradients synergically drive liquid directional motion. Then, we introduce the breakthroughs of bionic surface engineering strategies in water harvesting, directional liquid transport and recent advancements in engineering applications. Finally, we give a conclusion and future perspectives on the development of directional liquid transport.
高效定向液体传输系统的开发已成为众多研究和工程领域的核心焦点。天然生物体进化出了复杂的结构，以促进液体在平面上的可控移动。这些自然机制为创造模仿这些自然适应性的可持续、节能技术提供了思路。仿生定向液体传输的目的是利用自然界中发现的原理来设计能够自主管理液体流动的系统。核心目标之一是在无需外部能源或机械泵的情况下实现高效的液体定向移动。在本文中，我们回顾了平面上具有定向液体传输的自然系统的典型模型。接下来，我们揭示表面化学梯度、润湿性梯度和几何梯度协同驱动液体定向运动的物理机制。然后，我们介绍仿生表面工程策略在集水、定向液体传输方面的突破以及工程应用中的最新进展。最后，我们对定向液体传输的发展给出结论和未来展望。
