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Xue L, Li A, Li H, Yu X, Li K, Yuan R, Deng X, Li R, Liu Q, Song Y. Droplet-based mechanical transducers modulated by the symmetry of wettability patterns. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4225. [PMID: 38762537 PMCID: PMC11102432 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48538-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Asymmetric mechanical transducers have important applications in energy harvesting, signal transmission, and micro-mechanics. To achieve asymmetric transformation of mechanical motion or energy, active robotic metamaterials, as well as materials with asymmetric microstructures or internal orientation, are usually employed. However, these strategies usually require continuous energy supplement and laborious fabrication, and limited transformation modes are achieved. Herein, utilizing wettability patterned surfaces for precise control of the droplet contact line and inner flow, we demonstrate a droplet-based mechanical transducer system, and achieve multimodal responses to specific vibrations. By virtue of the synergistic effect of surface tension and solid-liquid adhesion on the liquid dynamics, the droplet on the patterned substrate can exhibit symmetric/asymmetric vibration transformation when the substrate vibrates horizontally. Based on this, we construct arrayed patterns with distinct arrangements on the substrate, and employ the swarm effect of the arrayed droplets to achieve three-dimensional and multimodal actuation of the target plate under a fixed input vibration. Further, we demonstrate the utilization of the mechanical transducers for vibration management, object transport, and laser modulation. These findings provide a simple yet efficient strategy to realize a multimodal mechanical transducer, which shows significant potential for aseismic design, optical molding, as well as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Luanluan Xue
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - An Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Huizeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
| | - Xinye Yu
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Kaixuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Renxuan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiao Deng
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Rujun Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Quan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanlin Song
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Xiangfu Laboratory, Jiashan, Zhejiang, 314102, China.
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Jiang Y, Wang Z. Soft wetting: an analytical model for pillar topography- and softness-dependent droplet depinning force. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:3593-3601. [PMID: 38530168 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00128a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The extent to which a droplet pins on a textured substrate is determined by the dynamics of the contact line and the liquid-vapor interface. However, the synergistic contribution of contact line sliding and interface distortion to the droplet depinning force remains unknown. More strikingly, current models fail to predict the depinning force per unit length of droplets on soft pillar arrays. Therefore, we fabricate soft pillar arrays with varying geometrical dimensions and mechanical properties and measure the depinning forces per unit length by allowing droplets to evaporate on such substrates. We then analyze the decrease in excess Gibbs free energy of the apparent droplet caused by the detachment of the droplet boundary from the previously pinned pillars. In contrast to prior notions, based on the measured decreases in excess Gibbs free energy, we find that the coefficient, that governs the ratio of interface distortion's contribution to the depinning force to that of the sliding contact line, increases with a decrease in pillar packing density. By considering the combined contribution from contact line sliding, liquid-vapor interface distortion, and pillar deflection, we introduce an analytical model to predict the droplet depinning force per unit length and corroborate the model using experimental data reported in this and prior studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youhua Jiang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering (Robotics), Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China.
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Zhujiang Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering (Robotics), Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China.
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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Lin D, Wang S, Xu W, Chen Y, Li P, Fang YG, Zhao W, Duan X, Yang X, Jiang Z, Fang WH, Zeng XC, Francisco JS, Gao Y. Topological wetting states of microdroplets on closed-loop structured surfaces: Breakdown of the Gibbs equation at the microscale. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315730121. [PMID: 38557188 PMCID: PMC11009642 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315730121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Microdroplets are a class of soft matter that has been extensively employed for chemical, biochemical, and industrial applications. However, fabricating microdroplets with largely controllable contact-area shape and apparent contact angle, a key prerequisite for their applications, is still a challenge. Here, by engineering a type of surface with homocentric closed-loop microwalls/microchannels, we can achieve facile size, shape, and contact-angle tunability of microdroplets on the textured surfaces by design. More importantly, this class of surface topologies (with universal genus value = 1) allows us to reveal that the conventional Gibbs equation (widely used for assessing the edge effect on the apparent contact angle of macrodroplets) seems no longer applicable for water microdroplets or nanodroplets (evidenced by independent molecular dynamics simulations). Notably, for the flat surface with the intrinsic contact angle ~0°, we find that the critical contact angle on the microtextured counterparts (at edge angle 90°) can be as large as >130°, rather than 90° according to the Gibbs equation. Experiments show that the breakdown of the Gibbs equation occurs for microdroplets of different types of liquids including alcohol and hydrocarbon oils. Overall, the microtextured surface design and topological wetting states not only offer opportunities for diverse applications of microdroplets such as controllable chemical reactions and low-cost circuit fabrications but also provide testbeds for advancing the fundamental surface science of wetting beyond the Gibbs equation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongdong Lin
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Shixian Wang
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Wenwu Xu
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Yuhao Chen
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Pei Li
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Ye-Guang Fang
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Wenhui Zhao
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Xiangmei Duan
- Department of Microelectronic Science and Engineering, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo315211, China
| | - Xinju Yang
- Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Zuimin Jiang
- Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Wei-Hai Fang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Xiao Cheng Zeng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, China
| | - Joseph S. Francisco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Yurui Gao
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
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He D, Rui Z, Lyu X, Zhuo J, Sun H, Dong Y. Effect of Nanopillars on the Wetting State and Adhesion Characteristics of Molten Aluminum Droplets. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:13986-13999. [PMID: 37725795 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
To solve the adhesion problem between molten aluminum and vacuum ladle liner during the electrolytic aluminum production process, the wetting state and adhesion properties of molten aluminum droplets on substrate surfaces with different nanopillars are investigated based on molecular dynamics. The results show that the adhesion strength of molten aluminum droplets in different wetting states has the pattern Young state > Wenzel state > Cassie state. Effects of increasing nanopillar height or interval are poles apart in the wetting state and adhesion characteristics of aluminum molten droplets. The critical height and critical interval of the nanopillar where the wetting state transition occurs are obtained. The increase of the nanopillar width can induce the wetting state transition from the Cassie state to the Wenzel state. In addition, the phantom wall method is applied to study the variation of the separation force. It is found that a peak in the separation force curve occurs when the molten droplet separates from the bottom of the nanopillar interval or the top of the nanopillar. The separation force curves of the droplets in the Young state and the Cassie state have single peaks, while the droplets in the Wenzel state have double peaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyun He
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyuan Rui
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Lyu
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
| | - Junting Zhuo
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
| | - Huaming Sun
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun Dong
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, People's Republic of China
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Wang F, Wu Y, Nestler B. Wetting Effect on Patterned Substrates. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023:e2210745. [PMID: 36779433 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202210745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
A droplet deposited on a solid substrate leads to the wetting phenomenon. A natural observation is the lotus effect, known for its superhydrophobicity. This special feature is engendered by the structured microstructure of the lotus leaf, namely, surface heterogeneity, as explained by the quintessential Cassie-Wenzel theory (CWT). In this work, recent designs of functional substrates are overviewed based on the CWT via manipulating the contact area between the liquid and the solid substrate as well as the intrinsic Young's contact angle. Moreover, the limitation of the CWT is discussed. When the droplet size is comparable to the surface heterogeneity, anisotropic wetting morphology often appears, which is beyond the scope of the Cassie-Wenzel work. In this case, several recent studies addressing the anisotropic wetting effect on chemically and mechanically patterned substrates are elucidated. Surface designs for anisotropic wetting morphologies are summarized with respect to the shape and the arrangement of the surface heterogeneity, the droplet volume, the deposition position of the droplet, as well as the mean curvature of the surface heterogeneity. A thermodynamic interpretation for the wetting effect and the corresponding open questions are presented at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Institute for Applied Materials - Microstructure Modelling and Simulation (IAM-MMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Strasse am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Yanchen Wu
- Institute for Applied Materials - Microstructure Modelling and Simulation (IAM-MMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Strasse am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Britta Nestler
- Institute for Applied Materials - Microstructure Modelling and Simulation (IAM-MMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Strasse am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute of Digital Materials Science, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Moltkestrasse 30, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
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