Title:
Environmental analysis of biologically inspired self-cleaning surfaces

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dc.contributor.advisor Bras, Berdinus A.
dc.contributor.author Raibeck, Laura en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember Rosen, David
dc.contributor.committeeMember Jeannette Yen
dc.contributor.department Mechanical Engineering en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2008-09-17T19:32:35Z
dc.date.available 2008-09-17T19:32:35Z
dc.date.issued 2008-07-10 en_US
dc.description.abstract Biologically inspired design is used as an approach for sustainable engineering. Taking a biologically inspired approach, one abstracts ideas and principles from nature, an inherently sustainable system, and uses them in engineering applications with the goal of producing environmentally superior designs. One such biological idea with potential environmental benefits for engineering is microscale and nanoscale surface roughness found on the Lotus plant and many other surfaces in nature. These surfaces repel water and aid in contaminant removal; this self-cleaning phenomenon is called the "Lotus Effect," in honor of the plant first observed to exhibit it. The structures responsible for the Lotus Effect inspired research and development of many technologies capable of creating hydrophobic, self-cleaning surfaces, and many potential self-cleaning surface applications exist beyond nature's intended application of cleaning. While statements have been made about the environmental benefits of using a self-cleaning surface, only limited scientific data exist. Artificial self-cleaning surfaces are successfully cleaned using fog or mist. This shows that such surfaces can be cleaned with less energy and water intensive methods than the more conventional methods used to clean regular surfaces, such as spray or solvent cleaning. This research investigates the potential environmental burden reductions associated with using these surfaces on products. A life cycle assessment is performed to determine the environmental burdens associated with manufacturing a self-cleaning surface, for three production methods: a chemical coating, a laser ablated steel template, and an anodized aluminum template. The environmental benefits and burdens are quantified and compared to those of more conventional cleaning methods. The results indicate that self-cleaning surfaces are not necessarily the environmentally superior choice. en_US
dc.description.degree M.S. en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/24727
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.subject Self-cleaning surfaces en_US
dc.subject Life cycle assessment en_US
dc.subject Biologically-inspired design en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Hydrophobic surfaces
dc.subject.lcsh Laser ablation
dc.subject.lcsh Metals Anodic oxidation
dc.subject.lcsh Protective coatings
dc.subject.lcsh Biomimetics
dc.title Environmental analysis of biologically inspired self-cleaning surfaces en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Thesis
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.advisor Bras, Berdinus A.
local.contributor.corporatename George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
relation.isAdvisorOfPublication 9c522ea2-cfd8-4ff0-ac9c-b62b07f7c32a
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication c01ff908-c25f-439b-bf10-a074ed886bb7
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569
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