Abstract
AbstractInsect feeding devices with unobstructed channels offer a wetting–dewetting dichotomy that allows fluid to be self‐contained but the channels to be self‐cleaning. An explanation of this unprecedented robustness is previously lacking. C‐faced channels are fabricated with different openings and their surfaces are modified to study the effects of different contact angles on channel wettability. X‐ray microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT) reveals hidden features of wetting–dewetting transitions of droplets in these channels. A wetting–dewetting phase diagram is theoretically constructed and experimentally validated to reveal the conditions for which a liquid will spread to form a column that is self‐contained in these channels. This study significantly relaxes the requirements for materials to be wettable and self‐contain fluids. This work offers promising new applications for microfluidics that can keep the empty channels clean but allow efficient transport of probing liquids.
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