Water Harvesting Performance of Modified Nanostructure Aluminum Using Silica Nanoparticles Coating and Laser...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• Dew collection is a vital water harvesting technique.
• Surface properties critically influence water collection efficiency.
• Nanostructured surfaces offer potential for improved water harvesting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate the impact of modified nanostructured surfaces on dew water harvesting performance.
• To compare the water collection efficiency of hydrophobic, superhydrophobic, hydrophilic, and biphilic aluminum surfaces.
• To identify optimal surface patterns for maximizing water harvesting.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces using fluorinated silica nanoparticles.
• Creation of hydrophilic surfaces via nanolaser processing and sandpaper abrasion.
• Design and fabrication of biphilic surfaces with varied superhydrophobic-to-hydrophilic area ratios.
• Experimental measurement of water collection rates under controlled conditions.

Main Results:

• The nanolaser-treated hydrophilic surface exhibited the highest water harvesting performance, collecting 386.7 mL/m².
• This performance showed a 42% increase over unpolished samples and a 282% increase over superhydrophobic samples.
• An optimal biphilic surface pattern was identified at a 1:4 superhydrophobic-to-hydrophilic area ratio.

Conclusions:

• Nanolaser-induced surface nanostructuring is highly effective for enhancing dew water harvesting.
• Surface wettability and pattern design are crucial factors in optimizing water collection.
• Engineered biphilic surfaces offer a promising strategy for efficient water harvesting applications.