Transport and collection of water droplets interacting with bioinspired fibers

Abstract

Inspired by natural creatures, such as spider silk, scientists have designed various bionic materials with special wettability. Compared with two-dimensional and three-dimensional materials, one-dimensional materials, such as fiber, with special wettability can dynamically transport or manipulate liquid droplets, attracting widespread attention. This paper reviews the latest developments of bioinspired fibers in the directional steering and transportation of droplets. Firstly, some fundamental theories of droplet's directional motion are reviewed. The movement of liquid droplets on the fiber is usually affected by several factors/features of the artificial fibers. Then the advantages and disadvantages of four representative methods for preparing bioinspired fibers with different features are reviewed. Subsequently, this paper continues to analyze the influencing factors of bioinspired fibers for efficient water collection and droplet driving direction, and the advantages of different structural combinations. Specifically, a section was dedicated to discuss droplets detachment from fibers. Finally, we provide some improved ideas and outlooks for developing of one-dimensional bioinspired fibers.