For many years, engineers have sought to create a special kind of surface: one that can both repel and absorb liquids, and whose ability to do so — its “wetting behavior” — can be quickly and precisely controlled. The technology would have a wide range of potential applications, from water filtration and biomedical devices to liquid optical lenses and lab-on-a-chip systems.
Such a “smart surface” has now been developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia. Inexpensive, scalable and powered by just a conventional electric battery, the copper-based surface changes from being very water-repellent (superhydrophobic) to very water-absorbent (superhydrophilic) as electric potential is applied.
“When tiny voltages are applied to the surface, water droplets that initially roll off stick to it more and more tightly,” says Ben Zahiri, the study’s co-lead author. “By changing the magnitude of the voltage and how long it is applied, we can easily control the angle that each droplet forms with the surface and how quickly this happens.”
When the electric potential is removed, the droplet retains its shape and remains pinned in place.
Other groups have modified the wetting behavior of copper surfaces using stimuli like heat, UV radiation and X-rays. But in order to achieve this, the required temperatures are high — up to 300 degrees Celsius — and the required exposure times are long — from tens of minutes to days. This makes them impractical for a number of consumer and industrial purposes.
In contrast, the electrical stimulus used by the UBC team modifies wetting behavior rapidly (from a few seconds to a few minutes) and reversibly, at voltages found in everyday batteries (less than 1.5 V). It does so by changing the oxidation state of the copper surface, which contains a mixture of hydrophilic CuO and hydrophobic Cu2O: as copper loses electrons, it becomes less attracted to water.
The ability to control surface wettability could be useful wherever droplets, or solid particles absorbed by droplets, need to be manipulated, including microfluidic devices and hazardous material handling systems. It also offers advanced self-cleaning capabilities by enabling the controlled roll-off of fluids.
Although the UBC team chose to investigate copper because it is cheap, abundant and one of the most commonly used metals in the world, Zahiri believes that the electrochemical manipulation of other metals, metal oxides and mixed oxides may yield similarly promising results. As for the liquid, any conductive fluid, such as blood, could be used.
“These findings could open up a new area of exploration for smart surfaces,” says UBC mechanical engineering professor Walter Mérida, who supervised the work.
Learn more: SMART SURFACE ENABLES ADVANCED MANIPULATION OF DROPLETS
The Latest on: Smart surface
[google_news title=”” keyword=”smart surface” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]- India’s SMART Torpedo System Set To Become Game-Changer In Anti-Submarine Warfareon May 5, 2024 at 4:50 pm
Successful test of Supersonic Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system 1 by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has rattled India’s adversaries, particularly China & Pakistan.
- Smart Pole Market CAGR of 19.99%, Rising to Greatness Anticipating Market Size’s New Heightson May 5, 2024 at 4:26 pm
Download Free Sample of This Strategic Report with Industry Analysis @ :- Smart pole Market is valued approximately USD 8.50 Billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of ...
- Smart Syringe Market Future of Market Size A Catalyst for Business Transformationon May 5, 2024 at 3:55 pm
Smart Syringe Market is valued approximately at USD 6.8 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 8.7% over the forecast period 2020-2027. Smart syringes are ...
- FSU Panama City student receives SMART scholarship for Naval Surface Warfare Centeron May 3, 2024 at 4:22 am
The SMART scholarship includes full tuition for up to five years, mentorship, summer internships, a stipend and guaranteed postgraduate employment with the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Panama City ...
- VERTU Best Flip Smart phoneon May 3, 2024 at 2:24 am
VERTU Best flip smartphone is the latest innovative Technology snap of the modern flashlight designed today. It captures it all as far as the new design of the flip phones is concerned. IRONFLIP ...
- Indian Navy Now Has A 'SMART' Weapon To Destroy Chinese Submarines In Indian Oceanon May 2, 2024 at 7:00 am
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system yesterday (1 May) ...
- Smart Home Devices We’re Obsessed With This Yearon April 29, 2024 at 6:49 pm
Smart device technology has been rapidly growing in popularity, and we are soaking it in. Our kids may watch The Jetsons and enjoy the futuristic comparisons, but they don't realize the many ways ...
- 10 genuinely useful things you can do with a smart speakeron April 29, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Making a smart speaker part of your daily routine can save time and hassle – here's 10 ways to make the most of your voice assistant ...
- Ampacet to show LIAD Smart Color automation at NPE2024on April 29, 2024 at 1:26 pm
Ampacet LIAD (S22097) at NPE2024 will be demonstrating two new LIAD Smart products: SpectroMetric 6 and the BlendSave Compact.
- Scientists develop strong yet reusable adhesive from smart materialson April 29, 2024 at 11:53 am
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a smart, reusable adhesive more than 10 times stronger than a gecko's feet adhesion, pointing the way for ...
via Google News and Bing News