Respiratory-inspired electrostatic open-microfluidics for air purification (opens in new tab)

The human respiratory system can remove most pollutants from inhaled air through the abundance of mucus and cilia on curved airway surfaces. Inspired by such a gas–liquid interface, here we develop an electrostatic open-microfluidics (EOM) system for biomimetic air purification. The EOM system features electrostatic field-assisted polarization and deflection and dynamically refreshed gas–liquid interface of open-microfluidics. Due to the surface energy difference and tailored wettability, par...