Programmable Control of Droplets on Phase-Change Lubricant-Infused Surfaces Under Low Voltage

This study presents a bioinspired phase-change transparent flexible heater (PTFH) for programmable droplet manipulation under ultralow voltage. By embedding a self-junctioned copper nanowire network into paraffin-infused, porous PVDF-HFP gel matrices, the PTFH achieves rapid, non-contact, and revers...

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Đã lưu trong:
Chi tiết về thư mục
Những tác giả chính: Lingjie Sun, Chunlei Gao, Wei Li
Định dạng: Bài viết
Ngôn ngữ:Tiếng Anh
Được phát hành: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Loạt:Lubricants
Những chủ đề:
Truy cập trực tuyến:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/6/272
Các nhãn: Thêm thẻ
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Miêu tả
Tóm tắt:This study presents a bioinspired phase-change transparent flexible heater (PTFH) for programmable droplet manipulation under ultralow voltage. By embedding a self-junctioned copper nanowire network into paraffin-infused, porous PVDF-HFP gel matrices, the PTFH achieves rapid, non-contact, and reversible control of microdroplet mobility. The PTFH can be bent or tailored into diverse shapes (e.g., V/X configurations), enabling multidirectional droplet transport. Under ultralow voltage actuation (<1 V), the surface of PTFH melts the phase-change lubricant within 2 s, switching surface wettability from high adhesion (Wenzel state) to low adhesion (SLIPS state). By combining Laplace pressure and temperature gradients (up to 22 °C/mm), drive droplets at ~2.0 mm/s over distances of ~13.9 mm. Programmable droplet coalescence, curved-surface transport, and a microreactor design for batch reactions were also demonstrated. The PTFH exhibits excellent transparency (89% when activated), mechanical flexibility, and cyclic stability, offering a versatile platform for microreactors, microengines, and smart windows.
số ISSN:2075-4442