Oil adsorbing and transporting surfaces: a simulative determination of parameters for bionic functional textiles

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, vol. 18, pp. 036006

Abstract

, are able to adsorb oil films from water surfaces and thus separate the oil from the water. There are first attempts to transfer this phenomenon to technical surfaces, but the functional principle and the influence of certain parameters are not yet fully understood. The aim of this work is to understand the interaction behavior between biological surfaces and oil, and to define design parameters for transferring the biological model to a technical textile. This will reduce the development time of a biologically inspired textile. For this purpose, the biological surface is transferred into a 2D model and the horizontal oil transport is simulated in Ansys Fluent. From these simulations, the influence of contact angle, oil viscosity and fiber spacing/diameter ratio was quantified. The simulation results were verified with transport tests on spacer fabrics and 3D prints. The values obtained serve as a starting point for the development of a bio-inspired textile for the removal of oil spills on water surfaces. Such a bio-inspired textile provides the basis for a novel method of oil-water separation that does not require the use of chemicals or energy. As a result, it offers great added value compared to existing methods.

Authors 9

1. Jan M. S. Wagner Aachen Institut Fuer Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut fuer Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Lehrstuhl für Textilmaschinenbau und Institut für Textiltechnik, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 52074, GERMANY

2. Musa Akdere Aachen Institut Fuer Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut fuer Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Lehrstuhl für Textilmaschinenbau und Institut für Textiltechnik, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, Aachen, 52074, GERMANY

3. Kevser Gürbüz Aachen Institut Fuer Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut fuer Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Lehrstuhl für Textilmaschinenbau und Institut für Textiltechnik, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 52074, GERMANY

4. Leonie Beek corresponding Aachen Institut Fuer Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut fuer Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Lehrstuhl für Textilmaschinenbau und Institut für Textiltechnik, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, Aachen, 52062, GERMANY

5. Kai Klopp
   Affiliation as printed

   Heimbach GmbH, An Gut Nazareth 73, 52353 Dueren, Germany

   Heimbach GmbH, An Gut Nazareth 73, Düren, 52353, GERMANY

6. Petra Ditsche

   University of Bonn

   Affiliation as printed

   Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, 53115 Bonn, Germany

   Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, Bonn, 53115, GERMANY

7. Matthias Mail

   University of Bonn · Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

   Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, 53115 Bonn, Germany

   Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344, GERMANY

8. Thomas Gries Aachen Institut Fuer Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut fuer Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen Lehrstuhl für Textilmaschinenbau und Institut für Textiltechnik, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 52074, GERMANY

9. Wilhelm Barthlott

   University of Bonn

   Affiliation as printed

   Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, 53115 Bonn, Germany

   Nees Institute for the Biodiversity of Plants, Universitaet Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, 53115 Bonn, Bonn, 53115, GERMANY