Multimodal liquid transport enabled by crassula muscosa shoot inspired rachet-shaped leaves channel

Multimodal liquid transport enabled by crassula muscosa shoot inspired rachet-shaped leaves channel | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Multimodal liquid transport enabled by crassula muscosa shoot inspired rachet-shaped leaves channel Moyuan Cao, Zehang Cui, Liang Chen, Guoqiang Li, Dongxu Xiao, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7506523/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Despite significant advances in bioinspired liquid transport systems, existing surfaces relying on static wettability gradients or asymmetric structures remain limited to single-mode transport, while achieving multimodal transport in a single channel has been overlooked. Here, inspired by the Crassula muscosa shoots, a multimodal directional ratchet channel (MDRC) is proposed, which integrates asymmetric curvature and tilt features to enable on-demand switching among four liquid transport modes: unidirectional transport in channel, bidirectional transport in channel, unidirectional transport on channel, and transport failure. The underlying mechanism of surface-tension responsiveness is revealed, where the synergy between curvature-induced Laplace pressure asymmetry and tilt-driven meniscus dynamics enables liquids (with surface tensions of 22.8 ~ 72.8 mN/m) to dictate transport modes. Crucially, by strategically leveraging the tunable flow direction and liquid height difference characteristics between transport modes, we developed a real-time surface tension sensor capable of identifying liquid surface tension across three distinct ranges: 22.8 ~ 31.5 mN/m, 35 ~ 42.5 mN/m, and approximately 55 mN/m. And the assembled MDRCs further serve as a multiphase droplet separator achieving > 95% efficiency in both oil-water and oil-oil separations. This work establishes new strategies of liquid manipulation for adaptive microfluidics, smart diagnostics, and precise separations. Physical sciences/Engineering/Mechanical engineering Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices/Fluidics multimodal liquid transport surface tension responsiveness liquid-flow height control surface tension identification multi-phase separation Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMovie6.mp4 Supplementary Movie 6 SupplementaryMovie7.mp4 Supplementary Movie 7 SupplementaryMovie5.mp4 Supplementary Movie 5 SupplementaryInformation.docx Supplementary Information SupplementaryMovie3.mp4 Supplementary Movie 3 SupplementaryMovie2.mp4 Supplementary Movie 2 SupplementaryMovie4.mp4 Supplementary Movie 4 SupplementaryMovie1.mp4 Supplementary Movie 1 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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identification, multi-phase separation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7506523/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7506523/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDespite significant advances in bioinspired liquid transport systems, existing surfaces relying on static wettability gradients or asymmetric structures remain limited to single-mode transport, while achieving multimodal transport in a single channel has been overlooked. Here, inspired by the \u003cem\u003eCrassula muscosa\u003c/em\u003e shoots, a multimodal directional ratchet channel (MDRC) is proposed, which integrates asymmetric curvature and tilt features to enable on-demand switching among four liquid transport modes: unidirectional transport in channel, bidirectional transport in channel, unidirectional transport on channel, and transport failure. The underlying mechanism of surface-tension responsiveness is revealed, where the synergy between curvature-induced Laplace pressure asymmetry and tilt-driven meniscus dynamics enables liquids (with surface tensions of 22.8\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;72.8 mN/m) to dictate transport modes. 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