Himanshu2 (IMAGE)

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)

Himanshu2

Caption

Hydrophobic surfaces (1) are intrinsically negatively charged and so when the hydrophobic capillary (2) draws in water from the (neutral) water reservoir, it selectively attracts cations (i.e., positively charged ions) that populate the electrical double layer (shown in the insert). Thus, when the capillary (3) is pulled out of the water reservoir, it carries water with a net-positive charge leaving behind an equal and opposite charge in the water reservoir. When the water is dispensed (4), hydrophobicity ensures that the entire volume of water is expelled with the excess positive charge.

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Reproduced under a Creative Commons 4.0 license from reference one © 2020 Nauruzbayeva et al.; KAUST; Ivan Gromicho

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