Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review

This review reports the recent progress and future prospects of wettability gradient surfaces (WGSs), particularly focusing on the governing principles, fabrication methods, classification, characterization, and applications. While transforming the inherent wettability into artificial wettability vi...

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Main Authors: Raza Gulfam, Yongping Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2022-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9873075
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author Raza Gulfam
Yongping Chen
author_facet Raza Gulfam
Yongping Chen
author_sort Raza Gulfam
collection DOAJ
description This review reports the recent progress and future prospects of wettability gradient surfaces (WGSs), particularly focusing on the governing principles, fabrication methods, classification, characterization, and applications. While transforming the inherent wettability into artificial wettability via bioinspiration, topographic micro/nanostructures are produced with changed surface energy, resulting in new droplet wetting regimes and droplet dynamic regimes. WGSs have been mainly classified in dry and wet surfaces, depending on the apparent surface states. Wettability gradient has long been documented as a surface phenomenon inducing the droplet mobility in the direction of decreasing wettability. However, it is herein critically emphasized that the wettability gradient does not always result in droplet mobility. Indeed, the sticky and slippery dynamic regimes exist in WGSs, prohibiting or allowing the droplet mobility, respectively. Lastly, the stringent bottlenecks encountered by WGSs are highlighted along with solution-oriented recommendations, and furthermore, phase change materials are strongly anticipated as a new class in WGSs. In all, WGSs intend to open up new technological insights for applications, encompassing water harvesting, droplet and bubble manipulation, controllable microfluidic systems, and condensation heat transfer, among others.
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spelling doaj.art-95a4c51abb664aba91278f5374b069132024-03-02T04:37:43ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742022-01-01202210.34133/2022/9873075Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A ReviewRaza Gulfam0Yongping Chen1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, ChinaJiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, ChinaThis review reports the recent progress and future prospects of wettability gradient surfaces (WGSs), particularly focusing on the governing principles, fabrication methods, classification, characterization, and applications. While transforming the inherent wettability into artificial wettability via bioinspiration, topographic micro/nanostructures are produced with changed surface energy, resulting in new droplet wetting regimes and droplet dynamic regimes. WGSs have been mainly classified in dry and wet surfaces, depending on the apparent surface states. Wettability gradient has long been documented as a surface phenomenon inducing the droplet mobility in the direction of decreasing wettability. However, it is herein critically emphasized that the wettability gradient does not always result in droplet mobility. Indeed, the sticky and slippery dynamic regimes exist in WGSs, prohibiting or allowing the droplet mobility, respectively. Lastly, the stringent bottlenecks encountered by WGSs are highlighted along with solution-oriented recommendations, and furthermore, phase change materials are strongly anticipated as a new class in WGSs. In all, WGSs intend to open up new technological insights for applications, encompassing water harvesting, droplet and bubble manipulation, controllable microfluidic systems, and condensation heat transfer, among others.http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9873075
spellingShingle Raza Gulfam
Yongping Chen
Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
Research
title Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
title_full Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
title_fullStr Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
title_short Recent Growth of Wettability Gradient Surfaces: A Review
title_sort recent growth of wettability gradient surfaces a review
url http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9873075
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