Bioinspired directional liquid transport induced by the corner effect

Many natural creatures have demonstrated unique abilities in directional liquid transport (DLT) for better adapting to the local environment, which, for a long time, have inspired the material fabrication for applications in microfluidics, self-cleaning, water collection, etc. Recently, DLTs aroused by the corner effect have been witnessed in various natural organisms, where liquid transports/spreads spontaneously along the corner structures in microgrooves, wedges or conical structures driven by micro-/nano- scaled capillary forces without external energy input. Particularly, these DLTs show advantages of ultrahigh speed, continuous proceeding, and/or external controllability. Here, we reviewed recent research advances on the bioinspired DLTs induced by the corner effect, as well as the involved mechanisms and the artificial counterpart materials with various applications. We also introduced some bioinspired materials that are capable of stimulus-responsive DLT under external fields. Finally, we suggested perspectives of the bioinspired DLTs in liquid manipulations. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].