We theoretically propose a high-efficiency tunable metalens based on an ellipse-shaped perforated graphene metasurface. By optimizing the axial length ratio of the elliptical aperture, we find the elliptical aperture with high reflectivity over a broad band by means of observing the reflectivity at different frequencies. Then, varying the orientation of the elliptical aperture from 0° to 180°, the reflected wave can generate a continuous range phase shift while keeping its amplitude high, which is necessary to achieve focusing. The metalens exhibits extraordinary tunability of focal length via uniformly changing the Fermi energy of graphene. The focus can be shifted above 72 µm with focusing efficiency reaching over 70%. In addition, the tunable metalens is also capable of broadband focusing modulation and plane focusing. The presented metalens exhibits outstanding focusing efficiency in dynamic focusing, thereby manifesting great practicability in dynamic imaging and robust stable imaging.
2 March 2024 in Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
Wetting behavior of droplets on a substrate with micro-grooves plays a key role in super-hydrophobicity. This paper aims to study the influence of groove width, droplet size, and surface tension on the anisotropic wetting behavior of droplets on micro-grooved PDMS membranes. Three types of PDMS membranes are made by mold replication. Profiles of droplets along the circumferential direction are observed by HD camera, and the 3D model of the droplet is reconstructed. Capillary forces at the three-phase contact line are obtained using the surface tension integration method. Additionally, liquid’s wetting depth within the micro-grooves is calculated using an interfacial free energy equilibrium approach. The experiment shows that the micro-grooved PDMS membrane has anisotropic constrain to droplets due to wetting depth change in micro-grooves. Meta-equilibrium states at the three-phase contact line are influenced not only by substrate free energy, but also by wetting depth, interface pressure, and substrate structure.
12 February 2024 in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science
The present paper aims to study the influence of pore-scale fiber structure on the Cassie-Baxter contact angle of droplets on PTFE fibrous hydrophobic membranes. The fiber structure is obtained by the Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM), and an optical test bench is built to measure the Cassie-Baxter contact angles of a droplet on a PTFE membrane. The free energy of the solid-liquid interface is measured by the surface tension integral on the droplet profile. An iterative algorithm for liquid-vapor interface shrinking is brought forward to analyze the liquid-vapor interface area between the droplet and the membrane, and the interface parameters of the Cassie-Baxter model are recognized. The experiment shows that the Cassie-Baxter contact angles and the contact line radii along the droplet circumference are in a normal distribution due to random fiber structures, and the variance of the normal distribution increases with the membrane pore diameter. The normal distribution of Cassie-Baxter’s contact angle indicates the constraint of the solid-liquid interface to the liquid-vapor interface. On the same normal contact pressure condition, the liquid-vapor area ratio of the droplet and membrane interface changes little, and Cassie-Baxter’s contact angle increases with the solid-liquid interface area ratio.
3 January 2022 in Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology