Improved Liquid Collection on a Dual-Asymmetric Superhydrophilic Origami.

Abstract

Manipulating fluid with an open channel provides a promising strategy to simplify the current systems. Nevertheless, spontaneous on-surface fluid transport with large flux, high speed, and long distance remains challenging. Inspired by scallop shells, here a shell-like superhydrophilic origami (S-SLO) with multiple-paratactic and dual-asymmetric channels is presented to improve fluid collection. The origami channel can capture various types of liquids, including droplets, flow, and steam, and then transport collected liquid unidirectionally. The S-SLO with 2 mm depth can reach maximum flux of 450 mL h^-1 , which is five times the capacity of a flat patterned surface with similar dimension. To diversify the function of such interface, the SLO is further integrated with a superhydrophobic zirconium carbide/silicone coating for enhanced condensation via the collaboration of directional fluid manipulation and a radiative cooling layer. Compared with the unmodified parallel origami, the shell-like origami with a radiative cooling layer shows a 56% improvement in condensate efficiency as well as the directional liquid drainage. This work demonstrates a more accessible design for the optimization of on-surface fluid control, and the improved performance of liquid transport should extend the applications of bioinspired fluid-manipulating interfaces.