CuO nanomesh hierarchical structure for directional water droplet transport and efficient fog collection

Collecting water from fog is a promising approach to solve the shortage of water resources by micro-nano scale hierarchical structure material surface. Inspired by the structures of cactus and pine needles, CuO micro-nano scale structures attached to the surface of Cu foam are designed to increase the efficiency of fog collection and droplet transport. The structural evolution from CuO nanowires to CuO nanomesh and CuO nanosheets is achieved by regulating the synthesis conditions. The results show that the synthesized CuO nanomesh hierarchical structure is more favorable for fog collection, and the collection efficiency can achieve a rate of up to 34.6 mg/cm2 s. The tip structure can rapidly capture and coalesce small droplets in a foggy environment, which significantly improves the fog collection efficiency. In addition, the synthesized mesh structure and inter-neighborhood gaps have a strong ability to confine air, making the surface has small adhesion and enabling water droplets to fall quickly, which realizes the transport of the collected water efficiently and sustainably. The research work opens a new path for constructing surface structures to improve fog collection performance and has reference value and promotion for the design and development of fog collectors.