Directional Superspreading of Water Droplets on Grooved Hydrogel Surfaces for Open Microfluidic Platforms.
Small Methods
; : e2300221, 2023 May 30.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37254259
ABSTRACT
Directional liquid spreading has an irreplaceable role in applications such as microfluidic devices, disposable biosensors, and point-of-care diagnostics. However, how to achieve directional, rapid, and complete spreading (i.e., superspreading) of liquids without external energy input is a great challenge. Herein, inspired by the peristome surface of Nepenthes pitcher, the directional superspreading of water droplets on hydrogel surfaces with predesigned microchannels by using the synergistic effect of the liquid-like property of hydrogels and the guidance of anisotropic microstructures is reported. Compared with the smooth ones, hydrogel surfaces with isotropic microstructures can facilitate the superspreading of water droplets, which can be realized within 500 ms in the absence of external forces. Furthermore, directional superspreading and the flow of water droplets are realized under the guidance of anisotropic microgrooves. Such a unique spreading behavior can also be observed on the hydrogel surfaces with various shaped microchannels, such as periodic, bent, shunted, divergent, and confluent morphologies, which have potential for the development of open microfluidic platforms for various healthcare-related applications.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Guideline
Language:
En
Journal:
Small Methods
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: