Launching by cavitation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wang, Dalei; Liu, Zixiao; Zhao, Hongping; Qin, Huanqi; Bai, Gongxun; Chen, Chi; Shi, Pengju; Du, Yingjie; Zhao, Yusen; Liu, Wei; Wang, Dan; Zhou, Guoquan; He, Ximin; Dai, Chaoqing
• 署名单位: Zhejiang A&F University; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; China Jiliang University; Anhui University of Technology
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-12361
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adu8943
• 发表日期: 2025-08-28
• 页码: 935-939
• 关键词: driven

摘要

Cavitation, characterized by formation of vapor bubbles in a low-pressure or high-temperature region of a liquid, is often destructive, but it can be harnessed for actuators and robots. We exploit cavitation to accumulate substantial energy in superheated liquids by suppressing its immediate release until reaching a stability limit. The energetic, unstable bubbles collapse violently, producing a burst of high power and force that initiates motion. Notably, a millimeter-scale device launched by cavitation can jump to a height of 1.5 meters-reaching a 12 meters per second (m/s) peak velocity, a 7.14 x 104 m/s2 acceleration, and a 0.64% energy efficiency-and can also swim on water at 12 centimeters per second. Cavitation-based launching works with a broad range of device materials, liquid media, stimuli, and operational environments.