Bioinspired conical design for efficient water collection from fog

Nature is known for using conical shapes to transport the collected water from fog for consumption or storage. The curvature gradient of the conical shape creates a Laplace pressure gradient in the water droplets which drives them towards the region of lower curvature. Linear cones with linearly increasing radii have been studied extensively. A smaller tip angle cone transports water droplets farther because of higher Laplace pressure gradient. Whereas a larger tip angle with a larger surface slope transports water droplets because of higher gravitational forces. In this study, for the first time, a nonlinear cone with a concave profile has been designed with small tip angle and nonlinearly increasing radius to maximize water collection. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology (part 2)’.