Journal
LANGMUIR
Volume 32, Issue 32, Pages 8029-8033Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b01864
Keywords
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Funding
- State of North Carolina
- National Science Foundation [ECCS-1542015]
- NASA Office of the Chief Technologist's Space Technology Research Opportunity - Early Career Faculty grant [NNX12AQ46G]
- National Science Foundation through Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) [EEC-1160483]
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Wicking, the absorption of liquid into narrow spaces without the assistance of external forces, has drawn much attention due to its potential applications in many engineering fields. Increasing surface roughness using micro/ nanostructures can improve capillary action to enhance wicking. However, reducing the structure length scale can also result in significant viscous forces to impede wicking. In this work, we demonstrate enhanced wicking dynamics by using nanostructures;With three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical features to increase the surface area while mitigating the obstruction of liquid flow. The proposed structures were engineered using a combination;of interference lithography and hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanowires; where structures at two length scales were independently designed to control wicking behavior. The fabricated hierarchical 3D structures were tested for watef and ethanOl wicking properties, demonstrating improved wicking dynamics with intermediate nanowire lengths. The experimental data agree with the derived fluid model based on the balance of capillary and vicious forces. The hierarchical wicking structures can be potentially used in applications in water harvesting surfaces, microfluidics, and integrated heat exchangers
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