Hydrodynamic Study on the “Stop-and-Acceleration” Pattern of Refilling Flow at Perforation Plates by Using a Xylem-Inspired Channel

Porous structures, such as perforation plates and pit membranes, have attracted considerable attention due to their hydraulic regulation of water flow through vascular plant networks. However, limited information is available regarding the hydraulic functions of such structures during water-refilling and embolism repair because of difficulties in simultaneous in vivo measurements of refilling flow and pressure variations in xylem vessels. In this study, we developed a xylem-inspired microchannel with a porous mesh for systematic investigation on the hydraulic contribution of perforation plates on water-refilling. In particular, the “stop-and-acceleration” phenomenon of the water meniscus at the porous mesh structure was carefully examined in macroscopic and microscopic views. This distinctive phenomenon usually occurs in the xylem vessels of vascular plants during embolism repair. Based on the experimental results, we established a theoretical model of the flow characteristics and pressure variations around the porous structure inside the microchannel. Perforation plates could be speculated to be a pressure-modulated flow controller that facilitates embolism recovery. Furthermore, the proposed xylem-inspired channel can be used to investigate the hydraulic functions of porous structures for water management in plants.