Seohyun, Cho Park, Sang Jin Lee, Young Jin Lee, You Jun Lee, Young A. Kim, Ho­-Young Kim, Seong Jin Chung, Seok Moon, Myoung Woon 2024-11-13T16:00:05Z 2024-11-13T16:00:05Z 2024-11-12 2025-01 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/151058 Floating microplastics (MPs) have recently become a major concern in marine pollution; however, current filter-based technology is hardly effective for directly removing such MPs from the water surface because of specific mesh size and clogging issues. This paper introduces a new skimming concept for removing floating MPs utilizing capillary force mediated by the elevation of a hydrophilic ratchet at the air？water interface. MPs floating near the ratchet surface are spontaneously forced toward the ratchet with a concave water meniscus, driven by the Cheerios effect. The MPs can then be skimmed and temporarily held by the deforming concave water meniscus as the ratchet rises. Here, it is found that the stability of the water bridge plays a crucial role in skimming success because it provides capillary adhesion between the MP and the ratchet. The proposed capillary skimming method is observed to be effective across nearly all types of floating MPs, ranging in size from 1 to 4 mm, and with densities varying from 0.02 to 0.97 g cm？3, which is also demonstrated by a prototype of marine robot cleaner. English Wiley-VCH Verlag Capillary Skimming of Floating Microplastics via a Water-Bridged Ratchet Article 10.1002/advs.202408623 1 Advanced Science, v.12, no.1 Advanced Science 12 1 Y scie scopus 001357294300001 Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Chemistry Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science Article MARINE POLLUTION PLASTICS SEA MICROBEADS IMPACTS capillary skimming cheerios effect microplastics removal water-bridged ratchet water meniscus