Fouling of mammalian hair fibres exposed to a titanium dioxide colloidal suspension

Abstract

Fouling of surfaces in prolonged contact with liquid often leads to detrimental alteration of material properties and performance. A wide range of factors which include mass transport, surface properties and surface interactions dictate whether foulants are able to adhere to a surface. Passive means of foulant rejection, such as the microscopic patterns, have been known to develop in nature. In this work, we investigate the anti-fouling behaviour of animal fur and its apparent passive resistance to fouling. We compare the fouling performance of several categories of natural and manufactured fibres, and present correlations between contamination susceptibility and physio-mechanical properties of the fibre and its environment. Lastly, we present a correlation between the fouling intensity of a fibre and the cumulative impact of multiple interacting factors declared in the form of a dimensionless group. Artificial and natural hair strands exhibit comparable anti-fouling behaviour in flow, however, the absence of flow improves the performance of some artificial fibres. Among the plethora of factors affecting the fouling of fur hair, the dimensionless groups we present herein provide the best demarcation between fibres of different origin.