Synergistically biomimetic platform that enables droplets to be self-propelled

Abstract Droplet transport still faces numerous challenges, such as a limited transport distance, large volume loss, and liquid contamination. Inspired by the principle of ‘synergistic biomimetics’, we propose a design for a platform that enables droplets to be self-propelled. The orchid leaf-like three-dimensional driving structure provides driving forces for the liquid droplets, whereas the lotus leaf-like superhydrophobic surface prevents liquid adhesion, and the bamboo-like nodes enable long-distance transport. During droplet transport, no external energy input is required, no fluid adhesion or residue is induced, and no contamination or mass loss of the fluid is caused. We explore the influence of various types and parameters of wedge structures on droplet transportation, the deceleration of droplet speed at nodal points, and the distribution of internal pressure. The results indicate that the transport platform exhibits insensitivity to pH value and temperature. It allows droplets to be transported with varying curvatures in a spatial environment, making it applicable in tasks like target collection, as well as load, fused, anti-gravity, and long-distance transport. The maximum droplet transport speed reached (58 ± 5) mm·s⁻¹, whereas the transport distance extended to (136 ± 4) mm. The developed platform holds significant application prospects in the fields of biomedicine and chemistry, such as high-throughput screening of drugs, genomic bioanalysis, microfluidic chip technology for drug delivery, and analysis of biological samples.