Controlling dropwise condensation is fundamental to waterharvesting systems, desalination, thermal power , air conditioning, distillation towers, and numerous other applications. For any of these, it is essential to design surfaces that enable droplets to grow rapidly and to be shed as quickly as possible. Several desert beetle species harvest water using their bumpy backs(the topography of these surfaces), cactus spines transport droplets using their asymmetric slope analogous , and a pitcher-plant molecularly smooth lubricantn. Inspired by the above, the synthetic surfaces were designed based on of Namib desert beetles, cacti, and pitcher plants. Compared to other surfaces, the synthetic surfaces have an unprecedented sixfold-higher exponent of growth rate, faster onset, higher steady-state turnover rate, and a greater volume of water collected.
Information Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16956
