Issue 20, 2024

Bio-inspired sustained entrainment in immiscible liquid–liquid systems for collecting floating oil

Abstract

Entrainment, where a solid object in a liquid bath moves towards the air phase, is common in industry and daily-life. However, most research on liquid entrainment has only focused on air–liquid interfaces, with little attention given to oil–water systems. Here, we look at a specific scenario where a solid object is immersed downwards from the upper oil phase to the lower water one. We demonstrate a biomimetic object, learned from bumble bees' tongues, with mesoscale structures that can keep the oil film and protect itself from the adhesion of water. By screening structure parameters, we find that the oil film can be sustained by both the propping effect of the structure and the flow and shape evolution. Heating the structure can recover the oil for effective recycling. This approach has the potential for oil spill cleanup by drilling oil spill film by using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Graphical abstract: Bio-inspired sustained entrainment in immiscible liquid–liquid systems for collecting floating oil

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
02 1 2024
Accepted
14 2 2024
First published
16 2 2024

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024,12, 11821-11830

Bio-inspired sustained entrainment in immiscible liquid–liquid systems for collecting floating oil

Z. Cheng, T. Shen, S. Chen, C. Yu, P. Li, Q. Tian, C. Li, L. Jiang and Z. Dong, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 11821 DOI: 10.1039/D4TA00025K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements