Science Daily December 9, 2019
To better understand the forces that attach and detach particles from surfaces during the self-cleaning mechanism and the effect of nanotextures on these forces, researchers in Israel prepared four silicon-based samples relevant to solar panels: (1) smooth hydrophilic (2) nanotextured hydrophilic surfaces and (3) smooth hydrophobic (4) nanotextured hydrophobic surfaces. They found that hydrophilic particle removal increased from ∼41%, from hydrophilic smooth Si wafers to 98% from superhydrophobic Si-based nanotextured surfaces. They determined that the reason for the increased particle removal is due to the reduction of the adhesion force between the particle and the surface and the altered geometry of the water–particle–air line tension acting on the particles on superhydrophobic surfaces, which increases the force that can detach particles from the surfaces. The finding can be implemented to engineer self-cleaning surfaces using other surfaces and dust particles, exhibiting different chemistries and/or textures…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Abstract. Credit: Langmuir 2019, 35, 48, 15526-15534, August 30, 2019Â