Study on the enhancing water collection efficiency of cactus- and beetle-like biomimetic structure using UV-induced controllable diffusion method and 3D printing technology

Collecting water from fog flow has emerged as a promising strategy for the relief of water shortage problems. Herein, using a UV-induced (ultraviolet light induced) controllable diffusion method combined with technology of three-dimensional (3D) printing, we fabricate biomimetic materials incorporating beetle-like hydrophobic–hydrophilic character and cactus-like cone arrays with various structure parameters, and then systematically study their fog-harvesting performance. The UV-induced controllable diffusion method can break away from the photomask to regulate the hybrid wettability. Moreover, employing 3D printing technology can flexibly control the structure parameters to improve the water collection efficiency. It is found that the water collection rate (WCR) can be optimized by controlling the hybrid wettability of the sample surface and cone distance and using substrates with printed holes, which lead to a 109% increase of WCR.