The transpiration of water at negative pressures in a synthetic tree

Tobias D. Wheeler and Abraham D. Stroock ()
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Tobias D. Wheeler: School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
Abraham D. Stroock: School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 455, issue 7210, 208-212

Abstract: Transpiration: the pulling power of a 'synthetic tree' Evaporation of water from the leaves of plants pulls water up from the roots via a passive wick-like action. This 'transpirational pull' generates pressures up to a hundredfold greater than in synthetic wicks. A team from Cornell University has now developed a microfluidic system in a synthetic hydrogel that captures the main attributes — and pulling power — of transpiration in plants. The microfluidic 'synthetic tree' has a root system that extracts liquid water from a subsaturated vapour into negative pressures in the liquid phase. Liquid water flows at large negative pressures through the 'trunk' and the water evaporates through an analagous 'leaf' system. This process validates the cohesion-tension theory of transpiration, and the synthetic tree should also be a useful platform for the study the properties of metastable liquids and a starting point from which to design new technologies for the management of water in chemical processes, heat transfer, and environmental engineering.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07226

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