Bai Haoyu, Sun He, Ye Zhihang, Li Zhe, Zhao Tianhong, Wang Xinsheng, Cheng Mingren, Wang Ziwei, Huang Shouying, Cao Moyuan
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metal and Molecular Materials Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Aug 11;12(16):6217-6228. doi: 10.1039/d5mh00553a.
Harvesting atmospheric water offers a sustainable solution to water scarcity in arid regions. While previous reports that proved the wettability of materials play a crucial role in the fog collection process, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Despite the focus on convex-backed beetles, hydrophobic smooth-backed beetles like also efficiently harvest fog. Through comprehensive investigation, the enhancement of fog collection efficiency on hydrophobic surfaces was attributed to the 3D patterning process of microdroplets. Hydrophobic surfaces form dynamic liquid bumps that disturb airflow, improving the capture of tiny fog droplets. With a harp-like collector configuration, the superhydrophobic surface further enhances efficiency by 57% compared to superhydrophilic collectors. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations show that surfaces with stronger hydrophobicity and lower contact angle hysteresis intercept fog droplets more effectively. This work provides insights into the aerodynamic role of wettability in fog harvesting and offers guidelines for developing high-performance, bioinspired fog collectors with optimized material properties.
收集大气中的水为干旱地区的缺水问题提供了一种可持续的解决方案。虽然之前的报告证明材料的润湿性在雾收集过程中起着关键作用，但其潜在机制仍不清楚。尽管人们关注凸背甲虫，但像[未提及的疏水光滑背甲虫]这样的疏水光滑背甲虫也能有效地收集雾气。通过全面调查，疏水表面上雾收集效率的提高归因于微滴的三维图案化过程。疏水表面形成动态液体凸起，扰乱气流，从而改善对微小雾滴的捕获。采用竖琴状收集器配置，与超亲水收集器相比，超疏水表面的效率进一步提高了57%。COMSOL Multiphysics模拟表明，疏水性更强、接触角滞后更低的表面能更有效地拦截雾滴。这项工作深入了解了润湿性在雾收集中的空气动力学作用，并为开发具有优化材料特性的高性能、受生物启发的雾收集器提供了指导。
