A045 : develop a hydrophobic surface to enable prolonged water flow without external force

• Main Author: Lee, Seung Hyun
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/60225
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

According to UN, there are two types of water scarcity: physical and economic scarcity. UN’s statistics show that latter type of scarcity is more rampant. Economic scarcity is attributed to lack of economic power to build infrastructure for water consumptions. Such infrastructures are very costly. Thus, this project aims to provide a stepping stone for more energy efficient and affordable water transportation by making use of wettability gradient. Wettability gradient refers to the variation in the surface energy of the fabricated surface. The author closely followed the fabrication method developed by (Chen.H, 2009), and made appropriate modifications to the fabrication method for paper substrate. Subsequently, the author carried out experiments to characterise the fabricated surface and water flow. The author also carried out various experiments to improve the water flow. For future works, the author also suggested a new alternative fabrication method developed in recent years.