Enhanced Liquid Propagation and Wicking Along Nanostructured Porous Surfaces

The crucial role of capillary pumping has motivated recent innovations in porous wicking materials for many energy and environment applications. Herein, the wick-based liquid propagation along with a surface, including both macroscopic water transport behavior microscopic dynamics, group nanostructured surfaces, is investigated. These hybrid surfaces are fabricated scalable way by bonding copper micromeshes on flat chemical etching. exhibit outstanding wickability simultaneously improving surface hydrophilicity minimizing viscous dissipation flow. Notably, as-fabricated also have good thermal conductivity high solar absorptance, which desired properties various To directly observe processes, infrared imaging locating front evaluating film thickness direction demonstrated. dynamic vapor meniscus representative pore unit captured characterized through environmental scanning electron microscopy. A pressure model permeability to predict characteristics then developed, resulting agreement experimental results large variety surfaces.