Electric-Field-Adaptive Wrinkled Surface for Tunable Liquid Manipulation: From Precision Droplet Transport to Selective Screening

Intelligent manipulation of fluid has aroused broad interest in the applications of freshwater harvesting, microfluidics, and energy. Despite much progress in this field, significant challenges persist in precisely controlling droplets intelligent driving and selection. Herein, inspired by shorebird beak and Nepenthes’ leaf edge, an electric-field-adaptive wrinkled surface (EFAWS) is developed for droplet driving and screening. Wrinkle geometry and lubricant thickness can dynamically regulate through electric field, enabling control trajectory and velocity by programming radial wrinkles and lubricant thickness, EFAWS achieves directional droplet transport and droplet volume-selective sorting. Theoretical models reveal relationships between surface deformation and wetting dynamics, demonstrating size-dependent directional responses governed by lubricant thickness. Volume-specific transport pathways emerge from the capillary forces generated by wrinkles, allowing intelligent screening of microdroplets. EFAWS establishes structure-field-property correlations for designing smart interfaces, with potential applications in microreactors, water harvesting and intelligent fluidic devices with multi-parameter control capabilities.