Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications
Polycarbonate sheets are optically transparent and have the potential to be used as one of the cover materials for PV applications. Solution treatment of polycarbonate surfaces enables to create surface texture topology giving rise to a hydrophobic state, which is favorable for self-cleaning applica...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/9/1449 |
| _version_ | 1797535687310835712 |
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| author | Bekir Sami Yilbas Abba Abdulhamid Abubakar Hussain Al-Qahtani Shahzada Zaman Shuja Mian Mobeen Shaukat Ahmet Z. Sahin Abdullah Al-Sharafi Saeed Bahatab |
| author_facet | Bekir Sami Yilbas Abba Abdulhamid Abubakar Hussain Al-Qahtani Shahzada Zaman Shuja Mian Mobeen Shaukat Ahmet Z. Sahin Abdullah Al-Sharafi Saeed Bahatab |
| author_sort | Bekir Sami Yilbas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Polycarbonate sheets are optically transparent and have the potential to be used as one of the cover materials for PV applications. Solution treatment of polycarbonate surfaces enables to create surface texture topology giving rise to a hydrophobic state, which is favorable for self-cleaning applications. In the present study, hydrophobization of polycarbonate surface is investigated via crystallization of surface by a one-step process. The influence of texture topology, which is created via crystallization, on water droplet mobility and optical transmittance is examined. Findings revealed that solution treatment, using acetone, results in crystallized polycarbonate surfaces with a hydrophobic state. Depending on the treatment duration, the texture characteristics of crystallized surface change while influencing the water contact angle hysteresis. This in turn affects the droplet mobility over the inclined crystallized surface and alters the UV visible transmittance. Moreover, the droplet mobility improves and dust mitigation rates from the treated surface increase as the solution treatment duration are reduced to 2 min. Oil impregnated samples result in improved UV visible transmittance; however, droplet motion changes from rolling to sliding over the surface. A sliding water droplet enables the removal of the dust particles from the oil-impregnated sample surface. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:48:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ae6e18c6d874b1ea5fcbf52290e8fca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:48:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ae6e18c6d874b1ea5fcbf52290e8fca2023-11-21T17:52:27ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602021-04-01139144910.3390/polym13091449Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning ApplicationsBekir Sami Yilbas0Abba Abdulhamid Abubakar1Hussain Al-Qahtani2Shahzada Zaman Shuja3Mian Mobeen Shaukat4Ahmet Z. Sahin5Abdullah Al-Sharafi6Saeed Bahatab7Mechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaPolycarbonate sheets are optically transparent and have the potential to be used as one of the cover materials for PV applications. Solution treatment of polycarbonate surfaces enables to create surface texture topology giving rise to a hydrophobic state, which is favorable for self-cleaning applications. In the present study, hydrophobization of polycarbonate surface is investigated via crystallization of surface by a one-step process. The influence of texture topology, which is created via crystallization, on water droplet mobility and optical transmittance is examined. Findings revealed that solution treatment, using acetone, results in crystallized polycarbonate surfaces with a hydrophobic state. Depending on the treatment duration, the texture characteristics of crystallized surface change while influencing the water contact angle hysteresis. This in turn affects the droplet mobility over the inclined crystallized surface and alters the UV visible transmittance. Moreover, the droplet mobility improves and dust mitigation rates from the treated surface increase as the solution treatment duration are reduced to 2 min. Oil impregnated samples result in improved UV visible transmittance; however, droplet motion changes from rolling to sliding over the surface. A sliding water droplet enables the removal of the dust particles from the oil-impregnated sample surface.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/9/1449polycarbonatesolution treatmenthydrophobicitysilicon oildust removal |
| spellingShingle | Bekir Sami Yilbas Abba Abdulhamid Abubakar Hussain Al-Qahtani Shahzada Zaman Shuja Mian Mobeen Shaukat Ahmet Z. Sahin Abdullah Al-Sharafi Saeed Bahatab Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications Polymers polycarbonate solution treatment hydrophobicity silicon oil dust removal |
| title | Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications |
| title_full | Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications |
| title_fullStr | Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications |
| title_short | Solution Crystallization of Polycarbonate Surfaces for Hydrophobic State: Water Droplet Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment towards Self-Cleaning Applications |
| title_sort | solution crystallization of polycarbonate surfaces for hydrophobic state water droplet dynamics and life cycle assessment towards self cleaning applications |
| topic | polycarbonate solution treatment hydrophobicity silicon oil dust removal |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/9/1449 |
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