Effect of oleophilicity on Pistia inspired surface roughness

• Published in: Journal of Mechanical Engineering
• Main Author: Latif N.A.; Kasolang S.; Ahmad M.A.; Bakar M.A.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UiTM Press 2019
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85077874507&partnerID=40&md5=1edb20e858d61a914b33676c7688d77f

Comprehensive application in nanostructured and advanced design bring science communities great interest towards these materials design. Biomimetic field is one of interests that allows scientist or researchers to take idea from nature and imitate it into numerous technology of structures, products and devices. Pistia stratiotes for example has intrinsic oleophilicity which rarely discovered. An investigation into pistia leaf inspired surface roughness for oleophilicity behaviour is studied. Four different nanocomposites materials with different nanofillers epoxy resin-based were successfully fabricated namely are epoxy polymer, graphene-filled, multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-filled and nanoclay-filled. Dinolite digital microscope was used to observe middle pistia inspired surfaces of the substrates and the surface roughness of the substrates had been measured using Alicona non-contact profilometer. The contact angle meter was deployed to measure the contact angle values of three different lubricants namely palm oil, palm oil + TiO2 and VG 68 lubricant oil. Nanocomposite of graphene-filled gave the highest oleophilicity behaviour on all oils tested when compared with the other substrates with 13.295 μm of surface roughness value. It was believed that surface roughness has the most effect on oleophilicity behaviour for the case of pistia inspired surfaces. © 2019 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.