Liquid spreading on a pre-wetted biomimetic surface inspired by a dog’s tongue

Abstract

Liquid film flow widely exists in industries due to its high thermal efficiency and low flow flux. The spreading of the liquid film is strongly influenced by the properties of the working surface. A biomimetic surface with multi-scale structures inspired by the skin of a dog’s tongue is proposed in this paper for the enhancement of heat and mass transfer. The spreading and flow behaviors of a gravity-driven liquid falling down the pre-wetted biomimetic surface are compared with that on the smooth surfaces, via the combination of numerical simulations using the volume of fluid (VOF) method, and experimental measurements using high-speed imaging. On the pre-wetted smooth substrate, liquid merges with two droplets before the free surface of the liquid slowly develops into a parabolic shape. In contrast, on the biomimetic surface, liquid rapidly and uniformly spreads into a thin film which could effectively enhance mass transfer in both spanwise and streamwise directions. The characteristics and distribution of the microstructures on the proposed biomimetic surface are potentially to be used to guide the design of the surface in high efficiency heat exchangers and reactors.