Wettability of Nanostructured Transition-Metal Oxide (Al2O3, CeO2, and AlCeO3) Powder Surfaces

Wettability has been the focal point of many studies in metal oxide materials due to their applications in water–gas shift reactions, organic reactions, thermochemical water splitting, and photocatalysis. This paper presents the results of systematic experimental studies on the wettability of surfaces of nanostructured transition-metal oxides (TMOs) (Al2O3, CeO2, and AlCeO3). The wettability of nanoparticles was investigated by measuring contact angles of different concentrations of water-based nanofluids (0.05–0.1 wt%) on the glass slide. The morphology, the heterostructure, and the nature of incorporated nanoparticles were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Characteristic diffraction patterns of the nanomaterials were evaluated using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The contact angles of water–Al2O3, water–CeO2, and water–AlCeO3 were measured as 77.5 ± 5°, 89.8 ± 4°, and 69.2 ± 1°, respectively. This study suggests that AlCeO3 is strongly water-wet (hydrophilic), while CeO2 is weakly water-wet (hydrophobic). It further demonstrated that the sizes and compositions of the nanoparticles are key parameters that influence their wetting behaviors

Cleaning with Bulk Nanobubbles

The electrolysis of aqueous solutions produces solutions that are supersaturated in oxygen and hydrogen gas. This results in the formation of gas bubbles, including nanobubbles ∼100 nm in size that are stable for ∼24 h. These aqueous solutions containing bubbles have been evaluated for cleaning efficacy in the removal of model contaminants bovine serum albumin and lysozyme from surfaces and in the prevention of the fouling of surfaces by these same proteins. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces were investigated. It is shown that nanobubbles can prevent the fouling of surfaces and that they can also clean already fouled surfaces. It is also argued that in practical applications where cleaning is carried out rapidly using a high degree of mechanical agitation the role of cleaning agents is not primarily in assisting the removal of soil but in suspending the soil that is removed by mechanical action and preventing it from redepositing onto surfaces. This may also be the primary mode of action of nanobubbles during cleaning