Rapid controlled transport of water droplets by sunlight-powered pump
Monday, December 17, 2018 - 07:10
in Physics & Chemistry
Driven by natural or artificial sunlight, a novel "microtube pump" transports water droplets over long distances. As reported by Chinese researchers in the Journal Angewandte Chemie, the pump consists of a tube whose properties can be changed asymmetrically through irradiation. This results in capillary forces and a wettability gradient in the inner wall which work together to accelerate the water droplets to exceptional high speeds.