Fog collecting biomimetic surfaces: Influence of microstructure and wettability

Azad, M. A. K.; Ellerbrok, D; Barthlott, Wilhelm; Koch, Kerstin

doi:10.1088/1748-3190/10/1/016004

Cited by 88 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…With the fiber diameter ranging from a few micrometers to a few millimeters, they can be observed in many places around the world. The difference among different spider silks is hardly distinguishable if only using the naked eye . Human beings began to harness spider silk long time ago.…”

Section: Natural Creatures and Mechanisms Of Collecting Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Animals and plants, over the past hundreds of million years, have evolved and survived in extreme conditions. For example in the Namib desert, beetles, spider, cactus, Nepenthes alata have adopted water harvesting features as shown in Figure . To develop man‐made materials for water‐harvesting, it is essential to first understand the water‐harvesting mechanisms, before the biomimetic materials are developed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Bioinspired Special Wettability Surfaces: From Fundamental Research to Water Harvesting Applications

Zhang

Huang

Chen

et al. 2016

Small

287

201

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Nowadays, the pollution of water has become worse in many parts of the world, which causes a severe shortage of clean water and attracts widespread attention worldwide. Bioinspired from nature, i.e. spider silk, cactus, Namib desert beetle, Nepenthes alata, special wettability surfaces have attracted great interest from fundamental research to water-harvesting applications. Here, recently published literature about creatures possessing water-harvesting ability are reviewed, with a focus on the corresponding water-harvesting mechanisms of creatures in dry or arid regions, consisting of the theory of wetting and transporting. Then a detailed account of the innovative fabrication technologies and bionic water-harvesting materials with special wetting are summarized, i.e. bio-inspired artificial spider silk, bio-inspired artificial cactus-like structures, and bio-inspired artificial Namib desert beetle-like surfaces. Special attentions are paid to the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies, as well as factors that affect the amount of water-harvesting. Finally, conclusions, future outlooks and the current challenges for future development of the water-harvesting technology are presented and discussed.

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Section: Natural Creatures and Mechanisms Of Collecting Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired Special Wettability Surfaces: From Fundamental Research to Water Harvesting Applications

Zhang

Huang

Chen

et al. 2016

Small

287

201

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, polyolefin meshes with bioinspired wettabilities have shown increased water collection efficiency compared with the untreated meshes [53]. Figure 13 demonstrates how cactus-inspired structures can be incorporated into a fog-collecting mesh.…”

Section: (F) Outlookmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired materials for water supply and management: water collection, water purification and separation of water from oil

Brown

Bhushan

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

111

127

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Access to a safe supply of water is a human right. However, with growing populations, global warming and contamination due to human activity, it is one that is increasingly under threat. It is hoped that nature can inspire the creation of materials to aid in the supply and management of water, from water collection and purification to water source clean-up and rehabilitation from oil contamination. Many species thrive in even the driest places, with some surviving on water harvested from fog. By studying these species, new materials can be developed to provide a source of fresh water from fog for communities across the globe. The vast majority of water on the Earth is in the oceans. However, current desalination processes are energy-intensive. Systems in our own bodies have evolved to transport water efficiently while blocking other molecules and ions. Inspiration can be taken from such to improve the efficiency of desalination and help purify water containing other contaminants. Finally, oil contamination of water from spills or the fracking technique can be a devastating environmental disaster. By studying how natural surfaces interact with liquids, new techniques can be developed to clean up oil spills and further protect our most precious resource.This article is part of the themed issue 'Bioinspired hierarchically structured surfaces for green science'.

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“…Some of the ongoing efforts to optimize fog collection processes are based on mimicking nature in different ways (Azad et al . ; Zhu et al . ).…”

Section: The Role Of Biomimicry and Nanotechnology In Fog Capturingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water harvesting from fog using building envelopes: part II

Caldas

Andaloro

Calafiore

et al. 2018

Water & Environment J

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Fog harvesting stands out as a simple and inexpensive form to produce drinkable water from alternative sources, when compared to other available techniques. This paper presents results from a set of experiments performed on radiative condensers, deemed as a promising system to be integrated in building envelopes, following a literature review on fog condensers presented in a previous work. An analysis of condensation potential obtained using high emissivity substrates and titanium dioxide nanocoatings is presented, as well as the influence of sample position and orientation, and impact of climatic variables. Finally, the role of nanotechnology in overcoming limitations of radiative systems is discussed as a means to increase harvesting efficiency with functionalized, engineered nano‐patterns on collector surface. Based on biomimicry principles, nanocoatings including nanoscale 3D optimal geometries are discussed, and the use of nanoimprint technology (NIL) is proposed to massively produce nano‐patterned panels with biomimetic fog capturing features.

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Fog collecting biomimetic surfaces: Influence of microstructure and wettability

Cited by 88 publications

References 51 publications

Bioinspired Special Wettability Surfaces: From Fundamental Research to Water Harvesting Applications

Bioinspired Special Wettability Surfaces: From Fundamental Research to Water Harvesting Applications

Bioinspired materials for water supply and management: water collection, water purification and separation of water from oil

Water harvesting from fog using building envelopes: part II

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