Data_Sheet_1_Hydrodynamic Study on the “Stop-and-Acceleration” Pattern of Refilling Flow at Perforation Plates by Using a Xylem-Inspired Channel.pdf

Porous structures, such as perforation plates and pit membranes, have attracted considerable attention due to their hydraulic regulation of water flow through vascular plant networks. However, limited information is available regarding the hydraulic functions of such structures during water-refilling and embolism repair because of difficulties in simultaneous in vivo measurements of refilling flow and pressure variations in xylem vessels. In this study, we developed a xylem-inspired microchannel with a porous mesh for systematic investigation on the hydraulic contribution of perforation plates on water-refilling. In particular, the “stop-and-acceleration” phenomenon of the water meniscus at the porous mesh structure was carefully examined in macroscopic and microscopic views. This distinctive phenomenon usually occurs in the xylem vessels of vascular plants during embolism repair. Based on the experimental results, we established a theoretical model of the flow characteristics and pressure variations around the porous structure inside the microchannel. Perforation plates could be speculated to be a pressure-modulated flow controller that facilitates embolism recovery. Furthermore, the proposed xylem-inspired channel can be used to investigate the hydraulic functions of porous structures for water management in plants.

多孔结构，如穿孔板和坑状膜，因其对水在维管植物网络中的流动进行水力调节而备受关注。然而，由于在活体情况下同时测量木质部导管中的补水流量和压力变化存在困难，有关此类结构在补水和水栓修复期间的水力功能的资料有限。在本研究中，我们开发了一种受木质部启发的微通道，其中包含多孔网状结构，以系统性地研究穿孔板对补水水力贡献的影响。特别是，在宏观和微观视角下，对多孔网状结构中水珠“停止-加速”现象进行了细致的考察。这一独特的现象通常出现在维管植物木质部导管在修复水栓时。基于实验结果，我们建立了一个关于微通道内部多孔结构周围流动特性和压力变化的理论模型。可以推测，穿孔板可能是一种压力调节的流量控制器，有助于水栓的恢复。此外，所提出的木质部启发通道可用于研究植物水管理的多孔结构的水力功能。