Water Harvesting through Microdroplets

DATE: May 2021
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar | Department of Mechanical Engineering
Gopal Chandra Pal, Ph.D.

Our research group is interested in using part # / Ref 88400, 2 microliter syringe with 34 and 26s gauge needles to dispense drops of micro/nanoliter size on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces. Our work requires that such dispensing is achieved with precision and a survey of literature has indicated that this can be effectively implemented with the Hamilton syringe and needle system.

Existing potable water resources, that keep ecosystems flourishing and feed an alarmingly growing human population, have become overstretched. So, it is imperative to develop novel strategies for atmospheric water harvesting to augment the supply of drinking water. This in turn requires a comprehensive understanding of microscale fluid dynamics of phase change and the associated interaction of small water droplets. These microfluidic phenomena constitute the prime research focus of our group wherein we need to perform controlled experiments with various sizes (micro/nanoliter) of droplets, deposited on surfaces with a range of wettability. To this end, we plan to explore our indigenously developed coating methodology to make these needles superhydrophobic, so that various micro/nanoliter sized droplet can be dispensed using Hamilton syringes with ease and without the need for any complicated instruments. We believe that such experiments will contribute to unravelling the overall dynamics of water harvesting. Our overall vision is to engineer state of the art surfaces that can achieve efficient harvesting of atmospheric water. We are looking forward to using the accurate Hamilton syringes and needles in this endeavor.

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