Liquid Repellence of Phobic Fiber Networks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Fluid Dynamics
• Surface Science

Background:

• Wetting behavior in fiber networks is crucial for applications but difficult to predict due to complex structures.
• Existing models like the cylindrical pore model fail for fibrous materials like paper and non-wovens.
• Heterogeneity in pore size, fiber dimensions, and reentrant geometry complicates wetting predictions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sophisticated analytical approach for predicting critical wetting resistance in hydrophobized fibrous networks.
• To quantify the breakthrough pressure of liquids in hydrophobic fibrous materials.
• To elucidate the impact of structural features and liquid properties on wetting behavior.

Main Methods:

• Direct measurement of critical breakthrough pressure for various porous substrates and liquids.
• Analysis of strategically chosen materials to isolate structural and stochastic effects.
• Formulation of a new predictive method based on experimental data.

Main Results:

• Established a method for directly measuring critical breakthrough pressure.
• Identified key structural parameters influencing wetting resistance.
• Demonstrated the method's physical reasonableness and numerical accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed method accurately predicts critical wetting pressure in hydrophobic fibrous networks.
• It accounts for structural complexity, including pore size, fiber dimensions, and their distributions.
• This approach enhances understanding of liquid penetration in materials like paper and non-wovens.