Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ahmed Aldhaleai, Peichun Amy Tsai
Summary: This study presents simple one- and two-step processes for fabricating transparent ultrahydrophobic surfaces and 3D-printed superhydrophobic microstructures. The one-step method involves thermal treatment of PDMS solution to create a transparent superhydrophobic surface, while the two-step approach combines 3D printing with a hydrophobic coating method to obtain superhydrophobic surfaces.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mengyu Zhu, Liyang Huang, Bo Zhang, Shan Chen, Hongguang Zhang, Xianren Zhang, Dawei Li, Yin Yao, Zhilong Peng, Shaohua Chen, Dapeng Cao
Summary: Superhydrophobic surfaces with low adhesion and high antiwetting have attracted significant attention for their unique physical characteristics and potential applications. However, designing robust superhydrophobic surfaces with these properties remains a challenge. In this paper, we discuss the important parameters for characterizing the adhesion and antiwetting properties of superhydrophobic surfaces, and highlight the contradiction between low adhesion and high antiwetting. We also review recent progress in the optimal design of superhydrophobic surfaces using chemical modification and physical microstructure design. Additionally, the application of superhydrophobic surfaces for drag reduction is discussed.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhifeng Hu, Fuqiang Chu, He Shan, Xiaomin Wu, Zhichao Dong, Ruzhu Wang
Summary: This review comprehensively summarizes the progress on phenomena, mechanisms, regulations, and applications of droplet impact on superhydrophobic surfaces. The focal points are droplet contact and rebound, and various applications are classified according to their requirements. The review also points out the remaining challenges and outlines future research directions.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Matti J. Hokkanen, Matilda Backholm, Maja Vuckovac, Quan Zhou, Robin H. A. Ras
Summary: Superhydrophobic coatings with unique properties such as self-cleaning and staying dry have recently emerged in industrial and consumer markets. The stochastic nature of coating components can affect the uniformity of water repellency, and traditional contact angle goniometry may not provide accurate quantification of wetting properties. The study demonstrates that highly sensitive force-based methods can offer advantages in quantifying microscale heterogeneity in superhydrophobic coatings.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Lei Xia, Faze Chen, Teng Liu, Du Zhang, Yanling Tian, Dawei Zhang
Summary: This study reveals the critical role of air in the impingement of droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces through simulations and experiments. The results show a non-monotonic variation of the non-dimensional maximum wetting diameter with increasing Ohnesorge number, and a non-monotonic variation of the dimensionless viscous extension with increasing impact number. Additionally, the non-dimensional contact time of bouncing droplets decreases rapidly with increasing Weber number.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wilhelm Barthlott, Burkhard Buedel, Matthias Mail, Klaus Michael Neumann, Dorothea Bartels, Eberhard Fischer
Summary: Plants and other organisms have developed the ability to colonize land, with superhydrophobicity being a crucial innovation for the transition from water to land. Superhydrophobic surfaces enhance gas exchange and exclude aquatic competitors, playing an important role in the survival of organisms in terrestrial environments. Superhydrophobicity has also found applications in material science and surface technology.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhifeng Hu, Siyu Ding, Xuan Zhang, Xiaomin Wu
Summary: This study experimentally explores the impact behavior of droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces with single pillars of different sizes. The effects of Weber number and the pillar-to-droplet diameter and height ratios on the contact state between the droplet and solid surface and the maximum width are investigated. The results show that increasing pillar size reduces the maximum width factor of impact droplets, and the critical Weber number for touching the substrate and forming liquid fingers is influenced by the pillar-to-droplet diameter and height ratios. A theoretical model based on energy conservation is developed to calculate the maximum width factor on the single-pillar superhydrophobic surfaces, which agrees well with experimental results within a +/- 10% prediction deviation.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Eunsang Lee, Florian Mueller-Plathe
Summary: The Cassie-Baxter state of wetting can explain the behavior of water droplets on superhydrophobic rough surfaces, including the equilibrium contact angle and the slippery dynamics. This study provides a deeper understanding of the contact line dynamics on rough surfaces using the molecular kinetic theory. The findings demonstrate the importance of additional friction forces and shed light on the origin of contact angle hysteresis.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chengmin Chen, Hongjun Zhong, Zhe Liu, Jianchun Wang, Jianmei Wang, Guangxia Liu, Yan Li, Pingan Zhu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of liquid droplets on superhydrophobic solid surfaces and reveals the asymmetric jetting phenomenon observed on dimple structures. The dynamics and underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon are elucidated through systematic experiments and numerical simulations. This research is conducive to the development of open-space microfluidic platforms for droplet manipulation and generation.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Arthur Vieira, Quan Zhou
Summary: We report a high-sensitivity multimodal force-sensing transparent droplet probe for characterizing superhydrophobic surfaces, allowing simultaneous visualization of the wetting interface and measurement of interaction forces. The probe consists of a transparent glass cantilever with a droplet probe attached, which directly images the wetting interface and measures forces simultaneously. By combining top view, side view, and high-resolution force sensing, the probe can reveal force contributions from both surface tension and Laplace pressure and measure super-repellent surfaces with contact angles near 180 degrees with a low experimental uncertainty of 0.5 degrees.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Peng Xu, Yurong Zhang, Lijun Li, Zhen Lin, Bo Zhu, Wenhui Chen, Gang Li, Hongtao Liu, Kangjian Xiao, Yunhe Xiong, Sixing Yang, Yifeng Lei, Longjian Xue
Summary: This review provides an overview of the research progress on the adhesion behaviors of droplets on surfaces. It covers the construction of bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces with different adhesion states, the fundamental theories of droplet adhesion, techniques to characterize droplet adhesion, wetting behaviors and the switching between different adhesion states, applications of bioinspired surfaces, and future research challenges and applications.
BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Yu Zhang, Zhentao Zhang, Junling Yang, Yunkai Yue, Huafu Zhang
Summary: A superhydrophobic surface with excellent evaporation characteristics and anti-adhesion properties was fabricated by a simple chemical etching method. Compared to smooth surfaces, the superhydrophobic surface reduced the evaporation rate of lower concentration droplets and delayed the evaporation of higher concentration droplets. Additionally, the superhydrophobic surface effectively reduced the adhesion of high viscosity liquids.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERMAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Xin Wang, Wanting Xu, Zhenqian Chen, Bo Xu
Summary: This study examines the dynamic behaviors, size distribution, and heat transfer performance of droplets on nanostructured surfaces under different condensing conditions. The results show that the jumping frequency decreases, droplet diameter increases, and maximum jumping height decreases as subcooling increases. Furthermore, heat transfer coefficient is significantly enhanced at different inclinations, demonstrating the impact of initial wetting state and inclination on droplet dynamics and heat transfer performance during pure vapor condensation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Sungchan Yun
Summary: The study altered the residence time of water drops on a superhydrophobic surface, demonstrating that using ellipsoidal drops and asymmetric bouncing can reduce the residence time by approximately 55%, providing insights for the development of self-cleaning and anti-icing technologies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Umair Baig, M. A. Gondal, M. A. Dastageer
Summary: In this study, oil-water separating membranes with contrasting wetting characteristics were fabricated by dip coating trichloro(octadecyl)silane on micro porous stainless steel mesh. These membranes achieved 99% separation efficiency in a gravity driven system and maintained their wetting characteristics and efficiency even after multiple passes of oily water. The surface morphology, elemental composition, and wettability of the coated membrane were also characterized.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Lei Yu, Yiping Sun, Yusheng Niu, Pengfei Zhang, Jun Hu, Zhong Chen, Gong Zhang, Yuanhong Xu
Summary: An atomic-dispersion Fe-doped oxygen-deficient molybdenum oxide nanozyme (ADFM) with peroxidase-like and enhanced catalase-like activity is developed for prevention of bacterial infection and promotion of wound healing. ADFM exhibits high aqueous dispersity and pH-adaptive ROS regulation, allowing it to fully exert enzyme-like activity in the wound microenvironment. In vivo experiments show that ADFM achieves efficient healing of drug-resistant bacteria-infected wounds with a wound-healing efficiency of approximately 10 mm(2) per day.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Wei-Feng Sun, Wen Kwang Chern, John Chok You Chan, Zhong Chen
Summary: In this study, reactive molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the decomposition process of crosslinked epoxy resin under high electric field and thermal degradation conditions. The effect of active molecular species, such as nitric acid and ozone, generated by electrical partial discharges on the synergetic thermal-electrical degradation of epoxy resin was analyzed. It was found that these active products oxidize hydroxyl groups and carbon-nitrogen bridge bonds in the epoxy molecular chains, leading to accelerated decomposition and increased decomposition products.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiqiang Li, Vincent Gill, Alexis Lambourne, Zhili Dong, Maxim Avdeev, Joo Tien Oh, Zhong Chen
Summary: The effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of FeCo-2V alloy was investigated. The study found that the yield strength decreases with increasing heating temperature and holding time, and decreasing cooling rate. Fast cooling improves the mechanical strength and ductility. The microstructural characteristics of the fracture surface differ between quenched and slow-cooled samples.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xin Huang, Yizhou Shen, Zhaoru He, Jie Tao, Song Shu, Weibiao Xiong, Zhicong Shen
Summary: Evaluation systems for post-laser removal surface quality of engineering coating materials were established using thermal models and characterization techniques. The threshold for laser removal precision was found to be 15 J/cm(2), with an ablation power of 308 W at 100 kHz. Simulation and experiments showed that laser power and overlapping affected surface roughness. After removal, the coatings exhibited wavy undulation morphology, minimal residue, and increased roughness below 0.5 μm, while maintaining good wettability.
Article
Polymer Science
Yan Yang, Jielin Ma, Malvern Yap, Qi Wang, Wen Kwang Chern, Yi Shyh Eddy Foo, Zhong Chen
Summary: In this study, the hygrothermal aging of an epoxy composite insulation material was conducted at different temperatures and relative humidity levels. Electrical properties, including volume resistivity, electrical permittivity, dielectric loss, and breakdown strength, were measured. It was found that the IEC 60216 standard, which uses breakdown strength as a criterion, is inadequate for estimating the lifetime of the material due to the minimal changes in breakdown strength during hygrothermal aging. However, significant increases in dielectric loss correlated well with the mechanical strength-based lifetime prediction, leading to the proposal of a new criterion for determining the end of life of the material.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weilan Liu, Yang Lu, Yizhou Shen, Haifeng Chen, Yaru Ni, Yangjiangshan Xu
Summary: In this study, a patterned surface with two different non-wetting characteristics was developed to control the transport behavior of water droplets. The surface exhibited excellent water-repellant properties in the superhydrophobic region, with a water contact angle of 160 degrees. The maximum transport distance and average transport velocity of droplets were observed on different wedge-shaped surfaces, indicating the driving force provided by the surface for droplet transport. The surface non-wetting gradient and wedge-shaped pattern created unbalanced surface tension and generated Laplace pressure inside the water droplet during the transport process.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Minzhi Ma, Zeai Huang, Lina Li, Wenda Zhang, Rui Guo, Ruiyang Zhang, Wenjun Fa, Chunqiu Han, Yuehan Cao, Shan Yu, Ying Zhou
Summary: By engineering the coordination environment, a Pr single-atom catalyst was developed to enhance the photogenerated electron density for efficient CO2 photoreduction to CH3OH. The optimized Pr-1-N4O2/CN catalyst exhibited significantly higher activity compared to other reference catalysts, with a 28.9 and 1.9-fold increase, promising innovative single-atom catalysts for CO2 photoreduction.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Lingfeng Zhao, Weilan Liu, Yizhou Shen, Yangjiangshan Xu, Biao Jiang, Jie Tao
Summary: This study investigates the adhesion mechanism between solid and ice, revealing that the multilayer array graphene structure plays a key role in the adhesion-type ice removal mechanism by increasing the horizontal displacement of ice through stress matching.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuyu Guo, Shuting Li, Dianyu Xu, Jinxi Han, Zhengqiang Xia, Sanping Chen, Jun Hu, Liping Wei, Zhong Chen, Gang Xie, Shengli Gao, Qi Yang
Summary: This study reports a strategy to regulate the surface charge distribution in carbon-based electrocatalyst to enhance its activity and stability in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The sample synthesized, Co9S8@CNS-S, exhibited excellent ORR performance. The improved activity was attributed to the exposed positive charge of surface carbon atoms by N, S elements doping synergistic with Co9S8 nanoparticles (NPs), and the enhanced stability was due to the suppression of H2O2 generation by the combination of carbon layer and Co9S8 NPs.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shuai Dong, Jun Hu, Zhao Qin, Hui Li, Suhang Chen, Zhong Chen, Kangzhen Xu
Summary: A novel WO3-based composite (CuX-WO3/Biochar) was designed by doping and loading. Cu as a dopant has the advantages of producing multiple bands and inhibiting grain growth. Biochar, as a carrier, effectively inhibits the agglomeration of nanomaterials. The CuX-WO3/Biochar was applied to catalytic decomposition and laser ignition of energetic materials.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mario Muralles, Joo Tien Oh, Zhong Chen
Summary: In this study, interatomic potentials for binary systems were developed using the second nearest-neighbor modified embedded-atom method (2NN MEAM) formalism. These potentials accurately reproduce essential physical properties and can be used to study multicomponent alloys and high entropy alloys, deepening our understanding of their unique properties at the atomic scale.
COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xiaofei Cao, Siqian Xing, Duo Ma, Yuan Tan, Yucheng Zhu, Jun Hu, Yao Wang, Xi Chen, Zhong Chen
Summary: Rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for future renewable energy systems. This study developed a multi-level screening methodology to search for stable and active dopants for CoP catalysts. Theoretical and experimental results showed that the difference in work function (Delta phi) and the d-band center (d-BC) of the doped system play important roles in regulating the adsorption free energy (Delta G(H*)) of HER. The discovery of these regulatory parameters can drive the development of high-performance ion-doped electrocatalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhaoru He, Yizhou Shen, Jie Tao, Weibiao Xiong, Song Shu, Shuangshuang Song
Summary: This study established a strategy of adjusting the scanning cycle and fine-tuning the laser energy density to achieve precise removal of FeCo-based wave-absorbing coatings. The experiment showed that laser removal left no coating residue and did not cause cracking or peeling of the oxide layer. The research also demonstrated the vaporization removal mechanism of the coatings and revealed the damage mechanism to the substrate during laser removal. The study expands the application potential of laser removal in non-destructive substrates.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lingfeng Zhao, Yizhou Shen, Weilan Liu, Jie Tao, Senyun Liu
Summary: Advancement in learning algorithms has shifted the focus of molecular simulation towards more complex predictions of anti-icing material properties, highlighting the importance of incorporating special micro/nano structures. Challenges remain in the rational design of high-performance anti-icing materials. To combat unavoidable icing, ultra-low ice adhesion and integrated active/passive anti-icing materials are utilized. Various methods for designing anti-icing materials can be summarized by reviewing interface phenomena.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yingzhen Zhang, Denglong Ma, Yonggang Lei, Tianxue Zhu, Jun Hu, Yu Tang, Zhong Chen, Jianying Huang, Yuekun Lai, Zhiqun Lin
Summary: This study reports the substitution of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) to enhance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate the important role of AOR in enhancing interfacial charge transfer and promoting active species generation. Compared to traditional OER-HER water splitting, the AOR-HER system shows a significant increase in hydrogen production.
