Title: Investigation of water harvesting using hybrid concept

Authors: Thuy Chi Do; Hanh Vu Thi Hong; Thuy Nguyen Thi Minh; Thanh-Binh Nguyen

Addresses: Thai Nguyen University of Education, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Thai Nguyen City, 20000, Vietnam ' Thai Nguyen University of Education, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Thai Nguyen City, 20000, Vietnam ' Thai Nguyen University of Education, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Thai Nguyen City, 20000, Vietnam ' Thai Nguyen University of Education, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Thai Nguyen City, 20000, Vietnam

Abstract: In this work, we propose a unique morphology for water-harvesting performance by combining two wetting states on one surface. Bio-inspired surfaces which comprise hydrophobic areas and hydrophilic spots with different initial wettability were investigated and demonstrated their superiority in water collection. The advantage can be explained by the enhancement in coalescence possibility which might be induced by the relevant combination of nucleation rate and water-driven ability. The experiments were conducted inside an environmental chamber for 3 h to mimic commercial applications. The best combination was found on a hydrophobic - moderately hydrophilic sample that improved water collection efficiency by up to 25% compared to bare aluminium and suggested a model for water collection.

Keywords: water collection; hybrid; superhydrophobic; hydrophilic; critical size.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2024.146472

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2024 Vol.21 No.7/8/9/10/11/12, pp.759 - 768

Published online: 30 May 2025 *

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