Jonathan Meng
Pronouns: he/him/his
Research Mentor(s): Wei Lu
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Mechanical Engineering / Engineering
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 6 – 4:40pm – 5:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Jonathan Meng, Changyu Deng, Wei Lu
Presenter: 79
Abstract
Despite an increased focus on sustainable practices and environmental conservation, cleaning and hygiene supplies have remained largely unchanged. Products such as paper towel rolls, sponges, and steel wool are required for every household and cooking facility and are disposed of without a second thought. The objective of this research project is to develop a reusable, less environmentally damaging replacement for these in the form of a self-cleaning material with possible applications in households, medical facilities, hygienic products, and as in general engineering purposes. This material is meant to collect contaminants and have the capability to be cleaned without the use of water. Constructions of many self-cleaning materials in literature require nanofabrication methods and lack the ability to be produced in larger quantities or at an affordable cost. At the heart of self-cleaning materials lies the characteristic known as superhydrophobicity which is determined by the contact angle water droplets make with the surface. When the contact angle is greater than 90°, the surface is deemed hydrophobic because the droplets have a small contact area and are beading up on the surface. Contact angles greater than 160° characterize superhydrophobicity. Contact angle on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces can be affected by the surface’s angle of inclination, surface roughness, and disturbance to the surface so starting with a hydrophobic, silicone material and adding perforations or pockets to hold liquid can potentially create such a material that can be emptied by stretching the openings wider.
Engineering, Interdisciplinary
