Computational fluid dynamics analysis of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic micro-textures for biofouling mitigation

Nazari, Samira (author), Zambrano, Lilibeth Angelica (author), Silva, Elisabete R. (author), Trdan, Uroš (author), Culliton, David (author)

Micro-texturing has been studied for many decades as a passive antifouling technology. However, most studies have been experimental in nature and lack an informed basis for the selection of the micro-texture architecture. The herein reported preliminary numerical studies explored micro-textured superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces for mitigating biofouling and related effects, such as Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC). Surface wettability manipulation is a key mitigation strategy for these issues. A computational model was developed to simulate the spreading behaviour of water droplets (an indicator of wettability) on three micro-textures (cubic, cylindrical, and hemispherical), with varying inter-pillar distances (10, 20, and 30 μm) for both superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces, with contact angles of 150° and 20°, respectively. Results showed lower Maximum Spreading Diameters (MSD) on the superhydrophobic models, compared to a flat surface. Cubic micro-textures with larger inter-pillar distances reduced MSD by 54.42%, suggesting enhanced water repellence and potentially preventing biofouling and closed-related effects such as MIC. Conversely, all superhydrophilic models had higher MSDs and formed an electrochemically-bound epitaxial aqueous surface layer which could act as a physical and interfacial energy barrier to bio-attachment. Hemispherical morphologies increased the MSD by 68.92%. The findings highlight the criticality of informed computational studies in biomimetic antifouling research whilst also demonstrating the potential benefits of micro-texturing as part of passive antifouling surface technology.

• Language: English
• Keywords: biofouling, microbial induced corrosion (mic), computational fluid dynamics (cfd), superhydrophobic, spreading diameter
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 21 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 26, art. 104627
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-167974
• UDC: 532.5:621
• ISSN on article: 2590-1230
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.104627
• COBISS.SI-ID: 229496835
• Publication date in RUL: 21.03.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Results in engineering
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2590-1230
• COBISS.SI-ID: 529862681

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: biološko obraščanje, mikrobno inducirana korozija (mic), računalniška dinamika fluidov (cfd), superhidrofobnost, premer razlitja