Environmental dust removal from inclined hydrophobic glass surface: avalanche influence on dynamics of dust particles

Yilbaş, Bekir Sami; Al‐Sharafi, Abdullah; Ali, Haider; Al-Aqeeli, N.; Al‐Qahtani, Hussain; Al‐Sulaiman, Fahad A.; Abu-Dheir, Numan; Abdelmagid, Ghassan; Elkhazraji, Ali

doi:10.1039/c8ra07503d

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Using the gravitational influence only removing dust from surfaces becomes fruitful. The inclination of the surface can create the gravitational influence while causing dust particles displacement on the surface 4 . However, frictional and adhesion forces (such as van der Walls forces) between the particles and the surface generate a retardation effect on the motion of dust particles along the inclined surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adhesion characteristics of solution treated environmental dust

Adukwu

Yilbaş

Jalilov

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Environmental dust is modified towards self-cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust particles are collected in the local area of Dammam in Saudi Arabia and they are treated with a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution. The changes in chemical and adhesion characteristics of the dust particles prior and after the solution treatment are analyzed. Force of adhesion and work required to remove dust from hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces are assessed, separately, for solution treated and collected dust. We show that aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution treatment modifies some dust components while causing the formation of submicron cracks and nano/submicron porous/pillars like textures on the dust particles. The texture generated on dust surfaces after the solution treatment has a great influence on dust adhesion characteristics. Hence, the solution treated dust particles result in lower adhesion on hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces as compared to that of untreated dust. The gravitational force enables to remove solution treated dust from inclined glass surfaces, which becomes more apparent for hydrophobic surfaces. Climate change causes increased cycles of dust storms and dust settlement on surfaces, especially in urban areas, significantly influences the urban life in terms of agriculture 1 , health 2 , renewable energy harvesting 3 , etc. Mitigation of dust from surfaces becomes one of the recent challenges and, particularly, dust removal from energy harvesting device surfaces becomes necessary towards sustaining device performance. Using the gravitational influence only removing dust from surfaces becomes fruitful. The inclination of the surface can create the gravitational influence while causing dust particles displacement on the surface 4. However, frictional and adhesion forces (such as van der Walls forces) between the particles and the surface generate a retardation effect on the motion of dust particles along the inclined surface. Since the dust particle size varies and large size particles can cause avalanche influence on the remaining small size dust particles while enhancing dust motion on the surface 4. However, some compounds in the dust particles, such as alkaline and alkaline earth metal compounds, do not satisfy the stoichiometric elemental ratio 5 ; hence, this causes ionic forces to be created on the particle surface while contributing to the interfacial force between the dust and inclined surfaces. This also enhances the pinning effect of the dust particles on the inclined surface. However, lowering surface energies of both the dust particles and the inclined surface, via chemical modification, can reduce the interfacial attraction between both surfaces. Therefore, investigation of dust particles removal from inclined surfaces with and without chemical modifications becomes essential for dust cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust composes of several elements and compounds, which depend on the geomorphologic structure of the landscapes 5. S...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adhesion characteristics of solution treated environmental dust

Adukwu

Yilbaş

Jalilov

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…This consideration yields the condition that the capillary force is same order of the force for pressure drop during the fluid infusion, i.e. πR 2 eff �P Cap = 2πR eff L eff �P loss , where L eff is the effective capillary length. The arrangement of the force balance leads to the equation for wetting fluid height, which becomes: www.nature.com/scientificreports/ The effective capillary length is evaluated using the SEM micrograph (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A water droplet-cleaning of a dusty hydrophobic surface: influence of dust layer thickness on droplet dynamics

Hassan

Yilbaş

Bahatab

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Water droplet cleaning of a dusty hydrophobic surface is examined. Environmental dust are used in the experiments and cloaking velocity of a dust layer by a droplet fluid is measured and hemi-wicking conditions for the dust layer are analyzed adopting the pores media wick structure approach. A droplet motion on dusty and inclined hydrophobic surface is analyzed using a high speed digital imaging system. Influences of dust layer thickness, droplet volume, and surface inclination angle on the mechanisms of dust removal by a rolling droplet are evaluated. The findings revealed that dust cloaking velocity decreases exponentially with time. The droplet fluid can cloak the dust layer during its transition on the dusty surface. The transition period of droplet wetted length on the dusty surface remains longer than the cloaking time of the dust layer by the droplet fluid. Translational velocity of rolling droplet is affected by the dust layer thickness, which becomes apparent for small volume droplets. Small volume droplet (20 µL) terminates on the thick dust layer (150 µm) at low surface inclination angle (1°). The quantity of dust picked up by the rolling droplet increases as the surface inclination angle increases. The amount of dust residues remaining on the rolling droplet path is relatively larger for the thick dust layer (150 µm) as compared to its counterpart of thin dust layer (50 µm).

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“…Although several techniques have been introduced to clean the dusty surfaces, the process remains expensive in terms of external energy and clean water requirement. On the other hand, the dust particles consist of various shapes and sizes and as the size of the dust becomes small (1.2 μm or less), the dust adhesion on surfaces becomes strong . Moving water droplet on textured surfaces can pick up the particles through which the dust can be removed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar energy harvesting and a water droplet cleaning of micropost arrays surfaces

2019

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Summary Solar energy harvesting in dusty environments initiates many challenges for sustainable operation of photovoltaic panels. Environmental dust reduces photovoltaic device performance and requires regular cleaning of active surfaces. Self‐cleaning of surfaces by water droplets offers advantages in terms of reduced cost and sustainable operation. The present study investigates dust removal from hydrophobic and optically transparent micropost arrays surfaces in relation to solar energy applications. The micropost arrays are replicated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) casting on textured silicon wafers. The replicated micropost arrays result in hydrophobic surface with contact angle of about 147.6° ± 5° and the hysteresis of 16° ± 2°. In relation to self‐cleaning, water droplet behavior on the inclined replicated micropost arrays is simulated and droplet movement is examined experimentally. The optical transmittance of micropost arrays is tested in outdoor dusty environments. It is found that droplet slides on the inclined micropost surface and expanding droplet size enhances the sliding velocity. Alkaline dust compounds dissolve in droplet while increasing pH from 4.35 to 7.94 and surface tension from 0.072 to 0.120 N/m. This alters droplet pinning and lowers the sliding velocity from 0.2 to 0.15 m/s. Optical transmittance of the samples was tested in outdoor dusty environments improve considerably by sliding water droplet cleaning on daily bases (transmittance reduces only 3% or less as reference to surface being kept indoor environments). Hence, introducing micropost arrays on photovoltaic panel protective cover surface can provide self‐cleaning effect, via droplet rolling, while slightly reducing optical transmittance of cover glass (approximately 2.5%‐3%) in outdoor environments.

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Environmental dust removal from inclined hydrophobic glass surface: avalanche influence on dynamics of dust particles

Abstract: The removal of environmental dust particles from optically transparent glass surfaces is considered, and the dynamics of the dust particles on the inclined hydrophobic glass surface is examined.

Cited by 15 publications

References 40 publications

Adhesion characteristics of solution treated environmental dust

Adhesion characteristics of solution treated environmental dust

A water droplet-cleaning of a dusty hydrophobic surface: influence of dust layer thickness on droplet dynamics

Solar energy harvesting and a water droplet cleaning of micropost arrays surfaces

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