Improved Liquid Collection on a Dual‐Asymmetric Superhydrophilic Origami

Abstract

AbstractManipulating fluid with an open channel provides a promising strategy to simplify the current systems. Nevertheless, spontaneous on‐surface fluid transport with large flux, high speed, and long distance remains challenging. Inspired by scallop shells, here a shell‐like superhydrophilic origami (S‐SLO) with multiple‐paratactic and dual‐asymmetric channels is presented to improve fluid collection. The origami channel can capture various types of liquids, including droplets, flow, and steam, and then transport collected liquid unidirectionally. The S‐SLO with 2 mm depth can reach maximum flux of 450 mL h−1, which is five times the capacity of a flat patterned surface with similar dimension. To diversify the function of such interface, the SLO is further integrated with a superhydrophobic zirconium carbide/silicone coating for enhanced condensation via the collaboration of directional fluid manipulation and a radiative cooling layer. Compared with the unmodified parallel origami, the shell‐like origami with a radiative cooling layer shows a 56% improvement in condensate efficiency as well as the directional liquid drainage. This work demonstrates a more accessible design for the optimization of on‐surface fluid control, and the improved performance of liquid transport should extend the applications of bioinspired fluid‐manipulating interfaces.