An integrative bioinspired venation network with ultra-contrasting wettability for large-scale strongly self-driven and efficient water collection.

Abstract

Collection of water from the atmosphere is a potential route to alleviate the global water shortage. However, it is still difficult to find a strategy to collect sufficient water on a large surface and transport it all off the surface without additional energy input. Inspired by redbud leaves, herein, we proposed a new water-collecting configuration. This configuration utilizes an ultra-contrasting wettability venation network with hierarchical micro-nano structures as the skeleton and integrates the strategies evolved by cacti and beetles. This venation network was fabricated by the technology based on ultra-fast lasers. We achieved a near-unity efficiency in collecting and centralizing the condensed water on the entire surface with a large area. Remarkable water collection and centralization capability were obtained. The venation networks manifested the notable enhancements of ∼166%, ∼352% and ∼644% in water collection efficiency when compared with conventional superhydrophobic surfaces at the tilt angles of 90°, 60° and 30°, respectively. This configuration can work continuously at all tilt angles, even against gravity at a negative tilt angle of 90°. In addition, the venation network can maintain excellent water collecting capability even under very arid conditions. The principle and fabrication technology of this venation network make it possible to scale up a practical network device for mass water collection and may be useful for water desalination, heat transfer, microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip, distillation and many other applications.