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Contaminant Removal Using Vibrating Surfaces: Nanoscale Insights and a Universal Scaling Law
,
David Neilan,
Cameron Handel,
Saikat Datta
Nano Letters, Volume: 25, Issue: 11, Pages: 4284 - 4290
Swansea University Author:
Saikat Datta
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Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c05973
Abstract
The development of active self-cleaning surfaces, i.e., surfaces that remove nanoscale contaminants using external forces such as electric or magnetic fields, is critical to many engineering applications. The use of surface vibrations represents a promising alternative, but the underlying nanoscale...
| Published in: | Nano Letters |
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| ISSN: | 1530-6984 1530-6992 |
| Published: |
American Chemical Society (ACS)
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69234 |
| Abstract: |
The development of active self-cleaning surfaces, i.e., surfaces that remove nanoscale contaminants using external forces such as electric or magnetic fields, is critical to many engineering applications. The use of surface vibrations represents a promising alternative, but the underlying nanoscale physics, in the absence of an intermediate liquid medium, is poorly understood. We used molecular dynamics simulations to explore the use of ultra-high-frequency surface acoustic wave devices for contaminant removal. Our simulations reveal that there exists a critical vibrational energy threshold, determined by the amplitude and frequency of the surface vibrations, that must be surpassed to effectively dislodge contaminant particles. We derive a universal scaling law that links the characteristic size of particles to the optimal vibrational parameters required for their removal. This provides a theoretical framework to aid the development of advanced, scalable self-cleaning surfaces with applications ranging from semiconductors to large-scale industrial systems. |
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| Keywords: |
molecular dynamics; surface acoustic waves; nanoparticle removal; self-cleaning surfaces |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
S.D. acknowledges the support of the Leverhulme Trustthrough the award of Early Career Fellowship ECF-2021-383. |
| Issue: |
11 |
| Start Page: |
4284 |
| End Page: |
4290 |