Controlled liquid/solid mobility using external fields on lubricant-impregnated surfaces
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsKarim Samir Khalil, Kripa K. Varanasi, Seyed Reza Mahmoudi
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Abstract
A method for precise control of movement of a motive phase on a lubricant-impregnated surface includes providing a lubricant-impregnated surface, introducing the motive phase onto the lubricant-impregnated surface, and exposing the droplets to an electric and/or magnetic field to induce controlled movement of the droplets on the surface. The lubricant-impregnated surface includes a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to stably contain the impregnating lubricant therebetween or therewithin. The motive phase is immiscible or scarcely miscible with the impregnating lubricant.
Claims29
A method for controlling movement of a motive phase (e.g., liquid droplets, liquids, solids, semi-solids, films) on a liquid-impregnated surface, the method comprising:
- providing a liquid-impregnated surface, said surface comprising an impregnating liquid and a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to contain (e.g., stably contain) the impregnating liquid therebetween or therewithin;
- introducing the motive phase onto the surface (e.g., wherein introducing the motive phase (e.g., liquid droplets) onto the surface comprises allowing the motive phase (e.g., liquid droplets) to form on the surface, e.g., via condensation), the motive phase comprising (or consisting essentially of) a phase that is immiscible with (or only scarcely miscible with) the impregnating liquid;
- and
- exposing the motive phase to an electric field and/or a magnetic field to induce controlled movement of the motive phase on the surface.
An article comprising a liquid-impregnated surface, said surface comprising an impregnating liquid and a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to stably contain the impregnating liquid therebetween or therewithin, wherein the impregnating liquid comprises a ferrofluid, the ferrofluid being configured to induce controlled movement of a motive phase introduced on the surface when the motive phase is exposed to a magnetic field.
An article comprising a liquid-impregnated surface, said surface comprising an impregnating liquid and a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to stably contain the impregnating liquid therebetween or therewithin, wherein the impregnating liquid is configured to induce controlled movement of a motive phase introduced on the surface when the motive phase is exposed to an electric field and/or a magnetic field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.