Abstract
© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim A fluid diode that allows fluid flow in one direction but blocks fluid flow in the opposite direction has wide applications including oil recovery, drug delivery, and lab-on-a-chip microfluidics. Many studies are conducted to facilitate directional liquid motion on the solid surface or across thin porous layers. However, the self-driven one-way flow inside porous systems still remains a significant challenge. Here, a novel all-hydrophilic fluid diode (AHFD) made of porous materials with asymmetric pores is reported, which allows capillary flow in a chosen direction. The direction-dependent flow process and the breakthrough pressure are experimentally and theoretically examined. The proposed AHFD can have many potential applications such as functional protective clothing, microfluidic valve, and oil-water separator, and the idea can be extended to develop other all lyophilic fluid diodes such as oleophilic diode.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1800269 |
Journal | Advanced Functional Materials |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 36 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 5 Sept 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- fibers
- microfluidics
- microstructures
- porous materials
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics