Self-cleaning bathroom surfaces by femtosecond laser machining

清洁淋浴或浴缸不仅是一项耗时和烦人的任务，而且我们通常使用相对 苛刻，不环保的化学清洗剂。因此，自动清洁浴室表面将是一种 欢迎创新。 然而，目前存在的许多用于产生这些所需表面特性的技术是 被认为是Maax Bath不可接受的，因为这些处理是通过溶剂输送应用于表面的 系统和磨损迅速，需要定期使用该产品。虽然对 重复使用使消费者的“无故障”维护--溶剂型喷雾的目的落空。 系统也与Maax正在进行的向更绿色发展的绿色倡议相矛盾 生产技术。因此，Maax Bath已经确定飞秒激光微加工是一种很有前途的 工业上制造自清洁浴室表面的技术，因为这项技术被证明适用于 从自清洁荷叶在各种材料上诱导出模拟的表面拓扑。 通过这个项目，我们的目标是确定创建这种自清洁表面类型的设置范围 聚合物和陶瓷基板材料。我们将进一步评估他们的表现是否令人反感 洗发水和水的混合物。最后，我们将在磨损实验中对创建的表面进行测试，以评估其 在典型的浴室应用中的耐用性。因此，这个项目将使Maax Bath能够做出知情的 致力于将该公司定位于易清洁浴室的前沿的投资决定 市场。除了Maax Bath通过这项新技术获得的竞争优势外， 实施这种表面将大大减少对环境有问题的洗涤剂的使用 和清洁产品，从而为更绿色的加拿大做出贡献。

Cleaning showers or bathtubs is not only a time-consuming and annoying task, but we usually use relatively harsh not environmentally friendly chemical cleaning aids. Thus, self-cleaning bathroom surfaces would be a welcome innovation. However, many of the technologies that currently exist to create these desired surface characteristics are deemed unacceptable to Maax Bath, as these treatments are applied to the surface through a solvent delivery system and wear away quickly requiring regular applications of the products. While the requirement for reapplication defeats the purpose of the "trouble free" maintenance for the consumer, the solvent-based spray systems are also in contradiction to the green initiatives that Maax is undertaking to move towards greener production technologies. Thus, Maax Bath has identified femtosecond laser micromachining as a promising technology to industrially create self-cleaning bathroom surfaces as this technique was shown to be suitable to induce a surface topology mimicked from the self-cleaning lotus leaf on various materials. With this project we aim at determining the range of settings to create such self-cleaning surface typologies on polymeric and ceramic substrate materials. We will further assess their performance is repelling shampoo-water mixtures. Finally we will test the created surfaces in abrasion experiments to assess their durability in a typical bathroom application. Thus, this project will enable Maax Bath to make an informed investment decision for its endeavour to position the company at the forefront of the easy-clean bathroom market. Aside from the competitive advantage gained by Maax Bath through this novel technique, the implementation of such surfaces will considerably reduce the use of environmentally questionable detergents and cleaning products and thus contribute to a greener Canada.