Capillary Skimming of Floating Microplastics via a Water-Bridged Ratchet
- Authors
- 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
- Issue Date
- 2024-11
- Publisher
- Wiley-VCH Verlag
- Citation
- Advanced Science
- Abstract
- 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.
- Keywords
- MARINE POLLUTION; PLASTICS; SEA; MICROBEADS; IMPACTS; capillary skimming; cheerios effect; microplastics removal; water-bridged ratchet; water meniscus
- URI
- https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/151058
- DOI
- 10.1002/advs.202408623
- Appears in Collections:
- KIST Article > 2024
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