Scalable Synthetic Trees for Transpiration-Powered Hydraulic Systems

This dissertation delves into the theory, design and fabrication, and practical uses of synthetic trees that replicate the transpiration mechanisms of natural trees. The first chapter provides an in-depth explanation of how natural trees utilize hydraulic mechanisms to draw water from the soil, through their roots, and up to their leaves, sustaining hydration through transpiration. This process is reliant on the difference in relative humidity between the leaf and the ambient to promote evaporation, and synthetic trees replicate this cycle by integrating reservoirs and conduits with wetted nanopores, mimicking the negative Laplace pressure seen in natural trees. Chapter 2 presents a detailed theoretical framework for transpiration in synthetic trees. These trees feature a vertical array of tubes connected to a nanoporous synthetic leaf. Our model considers the impact of convective gas flow on the leaf, minimizing the diffusive boundary layer and directly influencing the leaf's negative Laplace pressure. We next analyze how the rate of evaporation and tree morphology affect the required Laplace pressure for mass conservation, in an ambient environment with an appreciable diffusive boundary layer. Our model considers the changing dynamics of the menisci, including their capability to adjust their contact angle and withdraw into nanopores to self-stabilize. We then determine conditions where transpiration is limited by evaporation or constrained by the leaf's maximum Laplace pressure, across various tree geometries and ambient conditions. In Chapter 3, the focus shifts to a practical application, as the insights from the previous chapters guide the creation of a synthetic tree for water harvesting. Solar steam generation employing a porous evaporator, with a 3D design extending beyond the free surface to mitigate heat losses, is used to demonstrate how transpiration, rather than capillarity, can raise water up glass tubes, and improve liquid transport heights over conventional methods. Chapter 4 expands on the synthetic tree concept, proposing a mobile desalination water container driven by transpiration. The container features a ring-shaped fin designed to absorb solar heat, increasing water evaporation from a nanoporous synthetic leaf. This approach combines reverse osmosis and thermal evaporation, offering a promising solution for obtaining fresh water from seawater. In Chapter 5, the study explores transpiration-powered oil-water filtration using synthetic trees. Our approach showcases the potential for natural separation of oil and water in various applications, without the need for a pump and in opposition to gravity. Chapter 6 modifies the synthetic tree design to selectively absorb and retain oil from oil-water emulsions. When water evaporates from the synthetic leaf, enabled by the generated negative suction within, oil is then drawn and contained within the system through oleophilic and hydrophobic membranes. This approach offers a sustainable method for oil spill clean-up, oil extraction and purification. Chapter 7 experimentally investigates how to eliminate the capillary driving force in synthetic trees. By over-filling the synthetic leaf's top surface to remove existing concave menisci, the study hypothesizes gravity as a replacement mechanism for negative pressure, with the water in hydrostatic columns held in tension by the overlying water supported within the porous leaf. In summary, these engineered hydraulic systems offer novel approaches to water harvesting, desalination, oil-water filtration, and the cleanup of oil spills, and the study of synthetic trees opens up a realm of possibilities for sustainable water management and environmental remediation, showcasing the potential of biomimicry in solving pressing global challenges.