ACS Omega
·
2025
·
IF 4.3
Xue Gao,Chaosheng Li,Chengbin Shen
To address water scarcity in arid regions, this study proposes a high-efficiency fog harvesting material development strategy based on wettability gradient regulation. Controllable assembly of polyvinyl chloride nanofibers with bead-on-string structures on hydrophilic substrate surfaces is achieved through a 5 min electrospinning process. The fabricated Janus membrane achieves a contact angle differential of 141°, establishing an asymmetric wetting structure that enables directional droplet transport. Experimental data show that its fog water collection flux is 2.1 times higher than those of traditional hydrophilic materials. Surface water droplets were absorbed by the Janus membrane in only 2 ms, while they were absorbed by the hydrophilic membrane in at least 5 ms. Moreover, after the water droplets were absorbed, the Janus membrane surface can remain in a fresh, dry state, which is conducive to further water absorption. The underlying mechanisms for the enhanced fog harvesting performance were detailed, with numerical simulations used to study the impact of the hydrophilic layer’s wettability on liquid penetration. Such a Janus membrane can be a promising candidate for fog harvesting against the water crisis.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS ES&T Engineering
·
2021
·
IF 0
Rui Wang,Qisheng Ye,Jiayi Wu,Baoliang Chen,Xiaoying Zhu
Claiming water from the atmosphere or fog harvesting could be a promising route to relieve the scarcity of fresh water. The unidirectional water transportation of a Janus membrane has indicated a potential way of efficient fog collection. In this study, a facile two-step electrospun protocol was established to patch hydrophobic PVDF domains on a hydrophilic PAN nanofibrous texture in a designer manner inspired by the heterogeneous back structure of a desert beetle. The tuned heterogeneous surface morphology and the vertically varied wettabilities of the prepared Janus membrane indicated a more significant fog collection rate (FCR) than the homogeneous PAN or PVDF membrane. Moreover, the optimized Janus membrane (10 min of PVDF spinning on PAN to reach a coverage of 44.3%) indicated a promising FCR at 88.5 mg/(min cm2), which was comparable with the highest reported FCR of a more complicated organic/inorganic Janus system. It is possible that the synergistic effect of the capillary force and the Laplace pressure determined the high FCR of the Janus membrane in this study. In addition, the prepared Janus membrane was used for an efficient oil–water phase separation contributed by the excellent unidirectional water transportation effect. The novel morphology design protocol provided new insights of the Janus membrane fabrication, which obviously evoked the potential of the Janus membrane for practical applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境工程
·
纳米技术
·
水资源管理
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
·
2021
·
IF 5.909
Wei Zhou,Cailong Zhou,Hao Yang,Jin Wang,Jingcheng Du,Li Chen,Huizhen Shen,Luxi Tan,Lichun Dong,Xinjuan Zeng
Traditional preparation methods of Janus membranes are either too complicated or cannot accurately control their characters such as surface wettability , layer thickness, and pore structure. Herein, asymmetric wettability and layer thickness on the copper mesh were successfully regulated by an interface-confined surface engineering strategy and applied for liquid manipulation. Water droplets can spontaneously infiltrate from the superhydrophobic side to the superhydrophilic side of the as-prepared Janus copper mesh (JCM), achieving unidirectional transportation. Besides, the separation efficiency of the JCM exceeds 99.2%, whether it is a combination of light or heavy oil-water mixtures. Moreover, compared to the corresponding superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic meshes, the JCM showed a 200% increase in fog collection. A fog collector with a sandwich structure was further developed, making up of a superhydrophilic inner layer and double-deck superhydrophobic external layers that always play a role of a Janus collector to allow a continuous and high-performance fog harvesting regardless of the direction of the fog flow. Overall, this work provides a new idea in the fabrication of Janus membranes, which could be extended to the transport of directional water, switchable oil/water separation, fog collection, and other fields.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
·
表面工程学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
·
2020
·
IF 10.652
Jing Feng,Lieshuang Zhong,Zhiguang Guo
A desert beetle-inspired surface with alternating wettability has shown great potential in fog harvesting, which allows for the easy acquisition of fresh water. The fog harvesting mechanism has been deeply understood via the efforts of many scientists. Current studies focus on the effective fabrication of the fog harvesting material, and facile fabrication can greatly enhance its real application. In this work, using a simple spraying method and selective modification of mercaptan, we successfully fabricated a biomimetic surface with hybrid wettability consisting of a hydrophobic micro-particle/hydrophilic nano-particle hierarchical structure. When the mass ratio of Cu 2 O microparticles to ZrO 2 nanoparticles in the spraying suspension was 8:1, the as-prepared hybrid sample had the highest fog collection efficiency of approximately 1707.25 mg·cm −2 ·h −1 , which was two times higher than that of the superhydrophilic sample, showing prominent enhancement of the fog harvesting capacity. The special hierarchical structure can facilitate the water harvesting behaviour. The fabrication method has a low production cost and is facile, making the large-scale manufacture of fog harvesting collectors possible.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
·
2024
·
IF 8.3
Guangyi Tian,Changhui Fu,Zhiguang Guo
Water scarcity is a global problem and collecting water from the air is a viable solution to this crisis. Inspired by Namib Desert beetle, leaf venation and spider silk, we designed an integrated biomimetic system with hybrid wettability and wettability gradient. The hybrid hydrophilic–hydrophobic wettability design that bionomics desert beetle’s back can construct a three-dimensional topography with a water layer on the surface, expanding the contact area with the fog flow and thus improving the droplet trapping efficiency. The venation-like structure with wettability gradient not only provides a planned path for water transportation, but also accelerates water removal under the synergistic effect of gravity and wettability driving force, thus further improving the surface regeneration rate. The collector combines droplet capture, coalescence, transportation, separation, and storage capabilities, which provides new ideas for the design of future high-efficiency fog collectors.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
·
生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
·
2023
·
IF 9.9
Ye Fu,Shulun Ai,Zhiguang Guo,Weimin Liu
By collecting water in the air, it is an important way to solve the problem of water shortage in arid and semi-arid areas. Improving the efficiency of fog harvesting is still a great challenge to be overcome. The use of 3D structure is an excellent strategy, here, a Multiple-biomimetic 3D hydrophilic and superhydrophobic fog harvester with a hump-valley structure was prepared by the combination of thermal processing and spraying. Inspired by biological water collection in nature, a 3D porous sponge surface with hydrophilic valley and superhydrophobic hump was obtained by two-step treatment. This surface structure showed excellent fog harvesting performance, which was 185 % higher than the original sponge. This structure accelerates the capture, transfer and transport of droplets during the fog harvesting process and greatly improves the efficiency of fog harvest. The results show that the chemical gradient and structural gradient actuation we constructed on the melamine sponge surface can effectively improve the fog collection efficiency. A surface with a linear hump-valley mixed wettability pattern is designed, and it is proved that fog collection efficiency can be effectively improved at the droplet capture and transfer stage and transport stage respectively. This study highlights a simple and cheap integrated fog harvester material design.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
·
2024
·
IF 4.9
Feifeng Hu,Guangyi Tian,Huayang Zhang,Zhiguang Guo
The shortage of freshwater resources has a great impact on the daily life of human beings, and fog collection has become an effective mitigation measure. In this paper, inspired by the nanofabricated desert beetle, honeycomb, Euphorbia antiquorum L. and cactus, a 3D fog collector combining a conical array structural gradient and a wettability gradient was presented, with special three-dimensional array structure (TA-L/B (PPC)) that ensures that the fog-collecting efficiency of the samples is virtually independent of the direction of the fog flow. The fog collection efficiency of sample TA-L/B (PPC) is close to 4.3 g·h −1 ·cm −2 , a value that is 1.77 times higher than the surface fog collection efficiency of the copper sheet (OS) sample. By rationally designing the surface structure of the sample, the fog circulation process is accelerated, and a sustainable and stable fog collection process is achieved.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nano Today
·
2024
·
IF 13.2
Huayang Zhang,Shangzhen Xie,Guangyi Tian,Yihang Zhang,Zhiguang Guo
With global water scarcity a growing problem, fog harvesting technology has emerged as an effective solution. Industrial development and population growth have exacerbated the need for efficient, dismantlable, and assembled fog harvesting devices, as well as the requirement to optimize the droplet capture-transport relationship. In this study, a novel modular bionic 3D tree-like structure for fog harvesting system (3D-TSFHS) was developed to achieve rapid droplet transport by means of Nepenthes-inspired superslip leaves (SSLs). In addition, aluminum (Al) cones with superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic (SHL-SHB) patterns were prepared to enhance the droplet capture efficiency by drawing on the special wettability and structural features of various plants and animals such as cactus, spider silk, desert beetles, lizards and camphor leaves. This artificial design significantly enhances the overall capture and transport relationship. The resulting embedded superslip leaves Al cone fog harvesting (E-SLAC-FH) dramatically improves the fog harvesting efficiency and exhibits excellent durability. Assembling this fog harvesting into a 3D-TSFHS achieves a high fog harvesting efficiency of 0.462 g∙cm −2 ∙min −1 . The system's modular design and its exceptional durability ensure its potential for a wide range of applications in a variety of real-world scenarios.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
仿生学
·
环境工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2024
·
IF 18.5
Huayang Zhang,Guopeng Chen,Shangzhen Xie,Ye Fu,Guangyi Tian,Jianyong Zheng,Biao Wang,Zhiguang Guo
Fog harvest has emerged as a direct and efficient water harvesting technology to relieve the intense pressure of freshwater scarcity worldwide. With the vagaries of climate and increasing amount of energy consumption, high-efficiency fog harvest devices focus on the fast water droplet capture and transportation are highly desired. In this study, a novel harp structure is developed using cross-twisted copper filaments arranged in a spatial triangular pattern to enhance water droplet capture and transportation. Inspired by the natural differences in Laplace pressure observed in cactus and spider silks, this design accelerates the movement of water bridges. Besides, drawing on the fruit waxes on the surface of hogweed and blueberries, a paraffin wax coating is applied on the copper sheet frame to create a solid slip frame, improving the synergy between filament capture and frame transportation. The monolithic fog collector (MFC) thus achieves a significant increase in fog harvest efficiency and demonstrates excellent durability. Integration of the MFCs into a 3D high-efficiency fog harvest system results in a harvest rate of 0.5027 g cm −2 min −1 , showing promise for practical applications due to its durability, simplicity, and environmental friendliness.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nanoscale
·
2019
·Vol. 11
·期 24
·11774-11781
·
IF 6.97
Deke Li,Zhentao Wang,Daheng Wu,Guocai Han,Zhiguang Guo
Inspired by biological surfaces, we designed a magnetic fiber trichome based on the surface properties of caterpillars and earthworms. The caterpillar-inspired fiber trichome possesses a cooperative superhydrophilic–superhydrophobic–slippery lubricant-infused porous surface with gradient wettability and shows excellent fog harvesting behavior due to the driving force of the gradient wettability fiber similar to caterpillar spines. The earthworm-inspired fiber trichome exhibits excellent friction reduction and antiwear properties under harsh oil-bathed friction conditions, and it moves rapidly in mud under magnetic stimulation because of the self-lubricating transfer film formed between friction contact surfaces. In addition, the earthworm-inspired fiber trichome also has continuous antifouling capacity in mud due to the self-releasing lubricating layer that can be replenished after being consumed under solid friction. Therefore, the caterpillar- and earthworm-inspired fiber trichomes extend the scope of potential applications, such as self-driven water collection, self-floating oil spill cleanup, reducing friction and wear resistance, high-efficiency antifouling, and transport of heavy loads, among others.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2022
·Vol. 33
·期 5
·2210730
·
IF 19.924
Zhihua Yu,Jichao Zhang,Shuhui Li,Zhijuan Zhou,Ziqi Qin,Hui Liu,Yuekun Lai,Shaohai Fu
Bio-inspired fog harvesting devices (FHDs) have been exploited to address water shortages. Despite the advances achieved, efficient and continuous fog harvesting is still hindered by some challenges: 1) a single mechanism appears to be insufficient to achieve optimal water collection efficiency; 2) the re-evaporation of the harvested water results in decreased water collection. In this study, inspired by the unique feature of cacti, Nepenthes alata , lotus leaves, and pinecones, a 2D–3D switchable copper sheet (SLP-SHL@SP-Cu) is reported, which results in excellent fog capture and water transport rates. During the fog harvesting process, the captured droplets transport from the tip of the top surface to the bottom under the Laplace forces (cacti spine), capillary forces (lotus leaves), and low surface energy ( Nepenthes alata ). Notably, the novel FHD responds in a preprogrammed manner to changes in humidity and performs a dynamic transformation from a 2D planar structure to a 3D helical structure (and in reverse), enabling efficient fog harvesting (in the 3D geometry) and water storage (in its 2D form). Thus, this study opens a new avenue for the practical applications of highly effective FHDs with increased water retention abilities.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
npj Clean Water
·
2025
·Vol. 8
·期 1
·1-11
·
IF 11.4
Chen Kaiwen,Zhu Jianyi,Hao Cheng,Zhang Haonan,Tan Yujing,Xiao Xianfu,Sun Fengze,Han Xuewen,Peng Hui,Zhan Tianyi,Lyu Jianxiong,Yan Ning
Global climate change has exacerbated water scarcity, while traditional water treatment technologies are often unsustainable due to high energy consumption and negative environmental impacts, posing an urgent need for a sustainable solution. This study developed a novel wood-based flexible Janus membrane coupled with a spine structure for efficient oil-water emulsion separation and fog harvesting. The Janus wood membrane showed high separation efficiency (> 99.6%), high filtration flux (water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions exceeded 810 L/m²·h and 747 L/m²·h, respectively), and good reusability. Additionally, the introduction of spine and conical pores significantly enhanced fog collection efficiency (19.23 kg/m²·h), expanding the application potential of Janus membranes. Moreover, this Janus wood membrane offered excellent mechanical properties, dimensional stability, mildew resistance, and environmental benefits. This study underscored the potential of Janus membranes in water management and liquid separation, providing a sustainable solution to water scarcity.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）