Improved micro oil droplet coalescence for oil/water separation by spider silk-like structures

从工业和天然沃茨中分离分散的油已经成为世界范围内日益增长的挑战，以保护环境并提供世界范围内的清洁自来水。现有的去除油滴的方法要么条件苛刻、设备昂贵、装置复杂、加工步骤复杂、加工成本高，要么加工时间长。本研究将揭示纤维表面微观和宏观几何结构对油的吸附和从流动的水介质中分离的结构影响。我们将分析化学和地形结构化表面上的油滴在水中的局部定向运输的基本原理。这种用于提高油聚结效率的创新仿生研究方法源自液滴在结构化自然表面（如蜘蛛网纤维）上的粘附和聚结机制。它们的纺锤结为基础的串珠结构促进了纤维上露水水滴的聚结。在一种独特的方法中，已知的纤维-空气-水三相体系中液滴聚结的结构-性质-关系将被转移到纤维-水-油体系中，并通过理论建模、特殊纤维纺丝、表面和聚结分析进行研究。（粒子运动）在水下，油滴附着在水表面的动力学和热力学，浸入的分级纤维结构和随后的聚结以及叠加的压力差提供了非常复杂的条件，其详细的相互作用尚未被理解。为此，将进一步研究相关的生物模型-以蜘蛛纤维为优先-建立模型，并开发结构的吸油机制。这些发现将通过将发现和计算的纤维表面形态和化学成分转移到新的纺织品和金属过滤器结构中来实现技术上的实施，以改善聚结和过滤效率。

Separation of dispersed oil from industrial and natural waters has become an increasing worldwide challenge in order to protect the environment and to provide worldwide clean tap water. The established methods for oil droplet elimination involve either harsh conditions, expensive equipment, complex devices, complicated processing steps, high processing cost or long processing time. This study will reveal the structural influence of micro and macro geometry of fiber surfaces on oil sorption und separation from flowing aqueous media. We will analyze the fundamental principles of a local directed transport of oil droplets in water on chemically and topographically structured surfaces. This innovative biomimetic research approach for improved oil coalescence efficiency is derived from the mechanisms of droplet adhesion and coalescence on structured natural surfaces like spider web fibers. Their spindle-knots based beads-on-a-string structure promotes the coalescence of dew water droplets on the fibers. In a unique methodology, the known structure-property-relationships of droplet coalescence in the three-phase-system fiber-air-water will be transferred into the fiber-water-oil system and investigated by theoretical modelling, special fiber spinning, surface and coalescence analysis.Droplet transport (particle movement) under water, the kinetics and thermodynamics of oil droplet attachment to a water-immersed graded fiber structure and subsequent coalescence as well as superimposed pressure differences provide very complex conditions which have not yet been understood in their detailed interaction. For this purpose, the relevant biological models - priority on spider fibers - will be further investigated, models established and the oil absorption mechanism of the structures will be developed. The findings will be technically implemented by transferring the found and calculated fiber surface morphology and chemical compositions in new textile and metallic filter structures for improved coalescence and filter efficiency.