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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Optimization Of Superhydrophobic Surface Production Using Ambient-Dried Silica-Based Aerogels, Elizabeth Donlon
Optimization Of Superhydrophobic Surface Production Using Ambient-Dried Silica-Based Aerogels, Elizabeth Donlon
Honors Theses
Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit particular properties that make them functional in various anti-sticking, anti-contamination, self-cleaning and drag reduction applications. Though such surfaces are found in nature - most notably the lotus leaf - they are difficult to produce. There are numerous methods and techniques for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces. One such method is the sol-gel method, in which aerogel, a highly porous and lightweight material that can be made hydrophobic or superhydrophobic, is coated onto a surface. The purpose of this project is to devise a simple and repeatable procedure for making hydrophobic silica aerogel coatings that can be used for drag …
Measurement Of Skin Friction Drag On Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel Surfaces With Potential Application To Technical Swimsuit Design, Matthew R. Wahl
Measurement Of Skin Friction Drag On Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel Surfaces With Potential Application To Technical Swimsuit Design, Matthew R. Wahl
Honors Theses
The goal of this project was to fabricate and test a prototype technical swimsuit (low-drag suit worn by swimmers in their most important races) that utilized the hydrophobic properties of silica aerogels. This process involved coating a preexisting suit with aerogel material and completing the build of the newly redesigned water channel at Union College. To evaluate performance of materials, surface drag testing of airfoils coated in aerogel materials was performed using a dynamometer in the water channel. Several additions were made to the water channel in order to reduce variation in drag results. Variation was successfully decreased from 134% …
Effects Of Superhydrophobic Aerogel Surface Coatings On Drag Reduction, Robin A. Barabasz
Effects Of Superhydrophobic Aerogel Surface Coatings On Drag Reduction, Robin A. Barabasz
Honors Theses
The objective of this project was to determine if superhydrophobic aerogel-based surface coatings have an effect on hydrodynamic drag. Superhydrophobic aerogels were fabricated using Union College’s patented rapid supercritical extraction technique. These aerogels were crushed and combined with a perfluorinated ion-exchange membrane to create a superhydrophobic coating that can be painted on to surfaces. These coatings are 250% aerogel by weight to Nafion in solution, and exhibit an average contact angle with water of 160°. An investigation of the aerogel powders and films using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the most successful films had an average aerogel material …