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Self Cleaning Technology |
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15 Years Exterior Warranty |
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| LOTUS EFFECT = NON WETTABILITY + MICROSTRUCTURE |
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Most people believe that the smoother the surface, the easier is to clean, but... |
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The surface of the lotus flower consists of roughened wax crystals |
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REM- Image of lotus leaf (bar length= 20 µm)
Cells as a microstructure, wax crystals as a nanostructure.
This double structure minimises the area of contact with
water or dirt on the surface |
Lotus leaf enlarged 7000 times |
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| Non Wettability: The wax crystals (lipids) on the lotus leaf are hydrophobic ie, water repellent, so the water cannot wet the surface. |
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| CONTACT ANGLE AND NON WETTABILITY |
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The physical cause of non wettability are the ratios of the surface tension of water/air, water solids and solids air.
These ratios determine the contact angle of the drops of water solids. The contact angles are defined as
< 900 = Hydrophilic (wettable)
> 900 = Hydrophobic (non wettable)
00 = fully wettable (film of water in the surface.) |
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Theoritically with an angle of 1800 (does not occure in nature) a drop will touch the surface of the solid at one point only. |
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For smoothe water repellent surfaces (eg.Teflon) the maximum contact angle is 1200 |
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