Krishnan K., Milionis A., Tetteh F., Loth E.
University of Virginia, US
Keywords: insect fouling, residue, superhydrophobic, transition
An experimental setup consisting a wind tunnel and insect delivery system that is capable of injecting insects at 100 mph was built to test the effectiveness of superhydrophobic coatings towards insect fouling. Three distinct components of (in order of typical residue heights): exoskeleton pieces, yellow hemolymph from the insect abdomen and thorax, and red fluid from the insect head. The performance of the coatings were analyzed in terms of residue area and residue height through optical imaging. The before and after surfaces were compared and studied. Preliminary results indicate that surfaces with lower surface wettability yielded reduced insect hemolymph residue area per insect release. In particular, the superhydrophobic coating yielded the lowest residue area and no exoskeleton residue, while the aluminum surface resulted in the highest residue area and several exoskeletons.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Advanced Materials: TechConnect Briefs 2015
Published: June 14, 2015
Pages: 498 - 501
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications
ISBN: 978-1-4987-4727-1