Comparison of condensation rates of surfaces mimicking the desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern and leaf vein skeleton pattern
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/ijame.23.3.2026.15.1051Keywords:
Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic, Thermoelectric, Biomimicry, CondensationAbstract
This paper presents an investigation of condensation rate on surfaces with hydrophilic and hydrophobic patterns, inspired by the desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern and the leaf vein skeleton pattern. The objective of this paper is to compare the condensation rate of surfaces inspired by the desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern and the leaf vein skeleton pattern. Five types of surfaces, which were the desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern, leaf vein skeleton pattern, untreated copper, PVC-coated, and laser-etched surfaces, were prepared. The measured contact angles of a water droplet on the untreated copper, PVC-coated, and laser-etched surfaces were 62.21°,101.99°, and 54.75°, respectively. The condensation rates of water vapour on the five surface types were subsequently measured through experiments. The heat released from condensation was measured using a thermoelectric module. The rate of cooling power of the thermoelectric module is proportional to the condensation rate. The condensation rate of the surface with the desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern is 22.9% higher than that of the untreated copper surface. However, the condensation rate of the surface with the leaf vein skeleton pattern is only 9.53% higher than that of the untreated copper surface. The desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern induces the coalescence of droplets, which enhances the removal of condensate from the surface. The desert toktokkie beetle spot pattern also reduces the fluctuations in condensation rate by half, compared to the untreated copper surface. With appropriate adoption of features from nature, there is potential to reduce the size of a condenser.
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