title: Fog Collection on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Fibers: Influence of Cross Section and Surface Structure.
abstract: Fog-collecting meshes show a great potential in ensuring the availability of a supply of sustainable freshwater in certain arid regions. In most cases, the meshes are made of hydrophilic smooth fibers. Based on the study of plant surfaces, we analyzed the fog collection using various polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers with different cross sections and surface structures with the aim of developing optimized biomimetic fog collectors. Water droplet movement and the onset of dripping from fiber samples were compared. Fibers with round, oval, and rectangular cross sections with round edges showed higher fog-collection performance than those with other cross sections. However, other parameters, for example, width, surface structure, wettability, and so forth, also influenced the performance. The directional delivery of the collected fog droplets by wavy/v-shaped microgrooves on the surface of the fibers enhances the formation of a water film and their fog collection. A numerical simulation of the water droplet spreading behavior strongly supports these findings. Therefore, our study suggests the use of fibers with a round cross section, a microgrooved surface, and an optimized width for an efficient fog collection.
authors.affiliation: Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University , 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: M A K
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1493-8433
authors.initials: MAK
authors.lastname: Azad
authors.affiliation: Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University , 53115 Bonn, Germany.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences , 46397 Bocholt, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomimetics, Faculty of Nature and Technique, Bremen University of Applied Sciences , 28199 Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danter
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomimetics, Faculty of Nature and Technique, Bremen University of Applied Sciences , 28199 Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baars
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Sciences, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences , 47533 Kleve, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University , 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Barthlott