JP2017225957A - High drainable article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article for autonomously moving water on an appearance with force different from gravity as propulsive power.SOLUTION: An article surface has respectively a hydrophilic area and a hydrophobic area in a plurality, and increases a hydrophilic property in the hydrophilic area toward the constant direction of the surface, or reduces a hydrophobic property in the hydrophobic area toward the constant direction, or generates both an increase in the hydrophilic property in the hydrophilic area and reduction in the hydrophobic property in the hydrophobic area, and thus, in an article having a property of autonomously moving water in the constant direction on an appearance, at least one of the hydrophilic area is made wider in a width or higher in the hydrophilic property than the vicinal other hydrophilic area. The water is efficiently removed from such the article surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an article in which water apparently moves autonomously and is removed from the surface thereof. Specifically, the water attached to the surface moves in a specific direction without using gravity or power even on a horizontal plane, It relates to articles that are excluded from the surface.

  Articles that come into contact with water, such as water-related members, water on the surface of unit bath floors, and ceiling boards, are removed to the drainage channel by gravity when the amount is large, but the remaining water is wiped off. Or it is removed by natural drying. It is a method of removing water that is undesirable in some cases, such as wiping off the wiping and taking time for natural drying, or causing water spots and scales. Therefore, various proposals have been made on techniques for removing water from the surface of an article in contact with water, preferably promptly.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-39013 (Patent Document 1) includes a water-surrounding member in which irregularities are formed on a surface thereof, a water repellent paint layer is formed on a convex portion, and a hydrophilic paint layer is formed on a concave portion. It is disclosed. In such a structure, water is repelled by the water-repellent paint layer, so that the water flows into the groove-shaped recess, and the water is spread by the hydrophilic paint layer 4 formed in the recess, so that the surface tension causes a ball shape. No water is generated, and the water is drained by well flowing along the recesses.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-31665 (Patent Document 2) has different properties with respect to water in each part of a coating layer coated by an on-demand system, and relatively repels water in certain parts, and other In the portion, a water-circulating member is disclosed in which water is spread thinly in a film shape and water can be quickly drained by a combination of both.

  In any of the techniques disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents, water applied to the water-repellent region is repelled and moved to the hydrophilic region, and the action of water spreading in the hydrophilic region is utilized. And for drainage from the final member surface, it is premised that the substrate has an inclination, and water moves in the hydrophilic region by the action of gravity.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-744 (Patent Document 3) discloses that one surface of a tunnel-shaped flow path is composed of a hydrophilic surface and a hydrophobic surface, and a value obtained by dividing the hydrophilic surface by the hydrophobic surface is from upstream to downstream. A microdroplet transport device is disclosed that transports droplets in incremental increments toward the surface. According to this device, droplets can be transported in one direction, but when the hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces are formed in a triangular pattern, the base is 1 μm to 200 μm and the height is 10 μm to 200 μm. There is a description that it is a triangle, and the droplets to be transported are derived from a living body such as blood. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-331410 (Patent Document 4) discloses a first hydrophobic surface on the upstream side, a second hydrophobic surface having a smaller contact angle than the first hydrophobic surface on the downstream side, and the upstream side. And a flow path in which the area of the second hydrophobic surface is continuously increased from upstream to downstream by forming a surface in which the first hydrophobic surface and the second hydrophobic surface are mixed in the intermediate portion on the downstream side. A microdroplet transport device for transporting drops is disclosed. According to this device, it is said that a minute droplet containing a biomolecule such as a protein having a hydrophobic functional group can be transported by a surface tension gradient built in a flow path by different hydrophobic regions. When the first hydrophobic surface and the second hydrophobic surface are alternately arranged in a wedge shape in the intermediate portion, the dimensions of the wedge shape are 10 μm to 1 mm at the bottom and 10 μm to 30 mm in length. It is described that there is. Therefore, all of the techniques disclosed in these patent documents are limited to a technique for transferring a very small amount of blood or the like for a short distance, and it is difficult to say that a technique for transferring water on a large surface of a building material or the like is disclosed. is there.

  In addition, the inventors, including the present inventors, proposed a technique for apparently autonomously moving water by controlling the area ratio of the hydrophilic region on the building material surface to the hydrophobic region to increase in a certain direction. (Application on March 29, 2016, PCT / JP2016 / 60238 application (Patent Document 5)).

JP 2003-39013 A JP 2008-31665 A JP-A-2005-744 JP 2005-331410 A PCT / JP2016 / 60238 application

  Inventors of the present invention can now remove water from the surface more efficiently by modifying / improving the previously proposed article that uses water different from gravity as a driving force to make it appear to move autonomously. Was completed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article that can move water adhering to a surface more efficiently in a specific direction without using gravity, power, or the like even on a horizontal plane and removed from the surface.

And the article by this invention is
An article having a surface in contact with water,
The surface comprises a plurality of hydrophilic regions and hydrophobic regions, respectively.
The hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases in a certain direction of the surface, or the hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region decreases in the certain direction, or the hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases, and Cause both a decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region,
Thus, water has the property of apparently autonomously moving in the direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and at least one of the hydrophilic regions is wider than other neighboring hydrophilic regions. Is wide or highly hydrophilic (hereinafter, this region is referred to as a “highly hydrophilic region”).

It is a schematic diagram which shows one aspect | mode of the surface of the articles | goods by this invention. In the drawing, a plurality of hydrophobic regions 11 are formed in a triangular shape on the surface 100a of the article, and a hydrophilic region is formed in an inverted triangular shape. Here, among the plurality of hydrophilic regions, the width of the region 121 is configured to be wider than other neighboring hydrophilic regions 122, that is, a “highly hydrophilic region”. It is a figure explaining the apparent autonomous movement of the water placed on the surface of the article | item of FIG. It is a figure explaining the aspect which made the hydrophilic degree of the area | region 121 higher than the other other hydrophilic area | region 122 although the some hydrophilic region and the some hydrophobic region in the surface of an article | item are substantially the same shape. It is explanatory drawing of the articles | goods which combined the aspect which changes the area of a hydrophilic region, and the aspect which changes the affinity to water per unit area. In the explanatory diagram of the aspect in which the width of the hydrophilic region 122 adjacent to the highly hydrophilic region 121 is narrower than that of the highly hydrophilic region, and the width of the adjacent hydrophilic region 123 is further narrowed. is there. It is explanatory drawing of the aspect comprised so that the width | variety of a hydrophilic region may decrease as it distances from the highly hydrophilic region 121. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the articles | goods surface where the highly hydrophilic area | region 121 appears more preferably, preferably periodically. It is explanatory drawing of the aspect which united multiple units by this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the aspect which united multiple units by this invention, and is the aspect which several units 100a mutually shifted and arranged in the left-right direction. It is explanatory drawing of the aspect which united multiple units by this invention, and is the aspect which several units 100a mutually shifted in the up-down direction.

As described above, the present invention is a modification / improvement of the invention described in the previously proposed PCT / JP2016 / 60238 application. As long as the present invention does not contradict the present disclosure, The present disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure. That is, the disclosure of the specification of the above-mentioned application is incorporated by reference into the disclosure of this specification.
Definitions In the present invention, “an article having a surface in contact with water” means an article in which water may remain on the surface due to rainfall or during or after a predetermined work / operation using water by a person. means. According to one aspect of the present invention, a building material can be constituted by this article, for example, an outer wall material; an inner wall of a bathroom or a shower room, a ceiling and a floor material; a bathtub; a basin or a hand basin (for example, a bowl surface) And sinks); sinks; toilet bowls; faucets; tabletops used for tables, drafts, counters, etc .; glass members such as mirrors and windows; Examples of the counter include a counter used in a hand washing place, a washroom and a bathroom, a kitchen counter, a counter used in a laboratory, a counter of a draft chamber, and the like. In particular, the building material according to the present invention can be used for interior walls, ceilings and floors of bathrooms and shower rooms; bathtubs; Top materials used; Glass members such as mirrors and windows; Counters used in hand-washing places, washrooms and bathrooms, kitchen counters, counters used in laboratories, counters in draft chambers, etc. Are preferably used.

  In the present invention, the material / material of the article is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include glass, plastic, tile, stone, metal, wood, and ceramic. Furthermore, those in which these materials are coated, those in which plastics are laminated (for example, composite materials such as laminated steel plates and coated steel plates), and the like can be used.

Surface of article and water movement The surface of the article according to the present invention comprises a plurality of hydrophilic regions and hydrophobic regions, and the hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases in a certain direction of the surface of the article or in the hydrophobic region. The hydrophobicity is configured to decrease toward a certain direction on the surface of the article, or to cause both an increase in hydrophilicity in this hydrophilic region and a decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region. Here, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is caused by one of the following two. That is, as one aspect, it is generated by increasing the area ratio of the hydrophilic region to the hydrophobic region (hereinafter referred to as “hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio”) in the predetermined direction of the surface of the article. Further, as the second aspect, the affinity to water per unit area of the hydrophilic region increases toward the certain direction of the surface of the article, or the affinity to water per unit area of the hydrophobic region is increased. Caused by constructing to increase. The mechanism by which water apparently moves autonomously on such a surface is considered as follows, but this theory is assumed and the present invention is not limited to such a theory.

  The surface of the article according to the present invention includes a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region, and when water is placed in contact with both the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region, the water is pushed by the hydrophobic region and from the hydrophilic region. The pulling force acts. In the first aspect, the area ratio of the hydrophilic region to the hydrophobic region changes in a certain direction, and water is drawn to the larger area ratio of the hydrophilic region. Moreover, in the said 2nd aspect, the affinity with respect to water of this hydrophilic region or hydrophobic region changes to a fixed direction, and it is pulled in the direction where the affinity with respect to water increases relatively. These forces are considered to be propulsive forces, and the water appears to move autonomously on the surface. This propulsive force is different from gravity, and water moves even in an environment where the surface is horizontal and gravity does not apply any horizontal force to the water. Further, when the surface is inclined or vertical, it is possible to move water more efficiently by the forces of both the apparent autonomous movement direction of water and gravity. According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to move a relatively large water droplet of 5 mL or more or a cluster of water on a horizontal plane by at least several cm to 5 cm or more.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, at least one of the hydrophilic regions is wider or more hydrophilic than the other neighboring hydrophilic regions (hereinafter, this region is referred to as a “highly hydrophilic region”). . Thereby, the above-mentioned apparent autonomous movement of water can be performed more efficiently. Due to the presence of such a highly hydrophilic region, the force applied to the water from its surroundings is not equal and locally becomes stronger or weaker. Due to the uneven distribution of the applied force, the water (droplet) is deformed and an opportunity for movement is given. In addition to the force that promotes the apparent autonomous movement of the water of the present invention described above, water (water droplets) is subjected to the force of droplet formation due to the surface tension of the water droplet, the pulling force or the repulsive force from the surface of the article. However, these forces can sometimes be balanced and the movement of water can stop, especially when the amount of water is small. On the other hand, in the present invention, by providing the highly hydrophilic region, a hydrophilic gradient is generated between the hydrophilic regions, and the balance can be reduced. As a result, the water is, for example, a small amount of water. Even so, it will be possible to move efficiently. It is also considered that the direction of water movement can be controlled by guiding water to the highly hydrophilic region. Further specific embodiments of the present invention and the effects thereof will be described below.

Combination of the aspect of changing the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio (part 1 of the above) and the highly hydrophilic area The concept of “hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio”, which is the premise of the existence of the “highly hydrophilic area” in the present invention, and changes it The first aspect of the present invention will be described below while specifically explaining the technique.

  In the present invention, the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region include a plurality of hydrophobic regions arranged in parallel with the water movement direction in the longitudinal direction, preferably parallel to the water movement direction, and the hydrophilic region between the plurality of hydrophobic regions. In other words, a plurality of hydrophilic regions are formed in parallel with the water movement direction in the longitudinal direction, preferably in parallel with the water movement direction, and a hydrophobic region is arranged between the plurality of hydrophilic regions. Is done. A specific embodiment thereof will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of hydrophilic regions and a plurality of hydrophobic regions are formed on the surface of an article according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a plurality of hydrophobic regions 11 are formed in a triangular shape on a surface 100a of the article, and a hydrophilic region is formed in an inverted triangular shape. Here, among the plurality of hydrophilic regions, the width of the region 121 is configured to be wider than other neighboring hydrophilic regions 122, that is, a “highly hydrophilic region”.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the apparent autonomous movement of water placed on the surface of the article of FIG. In the region A in the figure, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio increases in the upper direction of the figure, and when comparing the region A and the region B, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio increases from the region A to the region B. When the water 20 is placed on such a surface, a force 31 pushed from the hydrophobic region 11 side acts on the water, and a force 32 drawn from the hydrophilic region 12 side acts. The water 20 moves upward from the bottom of the figure using these two forces as driving forces. In the present invention, this direction in which the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio increases, that is, the direction in which the water 20 moves is defined as the “water moving direction”. In the present specification, a region having a small hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio or its side may be expressed as upstream, and a region having a large hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio or its side may be expressed as downstream. In the present invention, hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity are used in a relative meaning as long as the driving force for the water 20 is generated, and means, for example, a property expressed as an absolute value as a contact angle with water. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophilic region has a static contact angle with water of 0 ° or more and 120 ° or less, and the hydrophobic region has a static contact angle with water of 40 ° or more and 180 °. Located in the following range.

  In the present invention, a more highly hydrophilic region is formed while changing the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio changes in the vertical direction, and at the same time, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio also changes in the horizontal direction of the figure due to the difference in area between the hydrophilic regions 121 and 122. As a result, water is more attracted to the highly hydrophilic region that is more hydrophilic than the other hydrophilic regions. By providing such a highly hydrophilic region, it is considered that a hydrophilic gradient is generated between the hydrophilic regions, and for example, even a small amount of water can be efficiently moved. In addition, the direction of water movement can be controlled by guiding water to the highly hydrophilic region. It is also possible to guide water in the direction of this highly hydrophilic region.

  As described above, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, this direction in which the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio increases is defined as the “water movement direction”, but the direction in which the water 20 moves is slightly toward the highly hydrophilic region. In this sense, the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are aligned, and the horizontal direction and the water movement direction in the figure are not limited to being exactly orthogonal (90 degrees), and both are approximately orthogonal. In this specification, the direction in which the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are arranged is sometimes referred to as a “lateral direction”, but in the relationship with the water movement direction, the direction defined in this way is meant.

  In the present invention, the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region can be formed as follows. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the article surface 100a is a surface having a hydrophilic property in itself, and the hydrophobic region 11 is a coating layer formed by painting. Moreover, according to another aspect, you may form not only a hydrophobic area | region but a hydrophilic area | region as a coating layer. Further, when the article surface 100a is a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophilic regions 121 and 122 may be formed as a coating layer.

  When a hydrophobic region is used as a coating layer, this coating layer is composed of a hydrophobic resin paint (for example, silicone resin, fluorine resin, acrylic resin, melamine resin, composite resin), an inorganic paint (for example, silicone paint), a hydrophobic photocatalyst. You may form with a paint. When the hydrophilic region is a coating layer, the coating layer may be formed of a hydrophilic resin paint, an inorganic paint, a hydrophilic photocatalyst paint, or the like. Although the formation method of a coating layer is not specifically limited, You may form by methods, such as an inkjet, screen printing, loto printing, and gravure printing.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region as the coating layer are formed as an aggregate of dots. For example, dots may be formed by applying a hydrophilic or hydrophobic substance by an inkjet method. Unless otherwise specified, this embodiment does not stop, and in the present invention, when the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region is formed by dots, the area of the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region is expressed as the sum of the areas of the dots forming the region, By comparing the sum of the areas of the dots, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio is defined.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an article according to another aspect of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram of an aspect in which a plurality of hydrophilic regions and a plurality of hydrophobic regions are formed in a triangular shape on the surface of the article according to the present invention. is there. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the highly hydrophilic region is formed wider than the other hydrophilic regions, that is, by increasing the area. Among the hydrophilic regions, the degree of the hydrophilic property of the region 121 is set higher than that of other neighboring hydrophilic regions 122. FIG. 3B schematically shows the degree of hydrophilicity at the AA position in FIG. 3A in the height direction. The region 121 has the highest hydrophilicity, that is, a “highly hydrophilic region”.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, as a result of such a configuration, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the article increases in the upward direction of the figure, and as in the case of FIG. When compared with the lower region, the degree of hydrophilicity increases from the bottom to the top of the figure. Due to such a change in hydrophilicity, even in the embodiment of this figure, the water apparently moves autonomously as in the embodiment of FIG.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the highly hydrophilic region is formed by changing the type or amount of the material forming it from that of the other hydrophilic region, so that the degree of hydrophilicity of the highly hydrophilic region is different from that of the other hydrophilic region. It can be different from hydrophilicity. Also about this aspect, the coating material which forms a coating layer, and the formation method of a coating layer can mention the thing similar to what was mentioned above. According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the hydrophilic region and the highly hydrophilic region are formed as an aggregate of dots. For example, a dot may be formed by applying a hydrophilic substance by an inkjet method. This is because the hydrophilicity can be easily changed by the density of the dots or by changing the diameter and / or interval of the dots.

  Moreover, according to one preferable aspect of this invention, it is preferable from a viewpoint that this coating layer is transparent with respect to visible light, does not affect the design of an article | item, or impairs it.

  In this aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are configured to be in contact with one water droplet. For example, when water droplet adhesion due to shower use in a bathroom is assumed, the adhesion size of the water droplet is 5 mm to If it is set to 100 mm, it is preferable that the maximum width of the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region is 2 mm to 50 mm in a portion where the size in the direction orthogonal to the water movement direction is maximum. In other words, the maximum width of each region is preferably smaller than half of the size of the droplet.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the combination of the mode of changing the affinity for water per unit area (the second mode) and the highly hydrophilic region, the second mode and the highly hydrophilic region Articles having combined surfaces are provided. The premise of the existence of the “highly hydrophilic region” in the present invention is that “the increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region indicates that the affinity to water per unit area of the hydrophilic region is in a certain direction. Another aspect of the present invention will be described below while specifically explaining the concept of “to increase or to increase the affinity for water per unit area of the hydrophobic region” and a technique for changing it. .

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another aspect of the present invention. This aspect is a combination of an aspect that changes the affinity for water per unit area and a highly hydrophilic region. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of hydrophilic regions and a plurality of hydrophobic regions are formed in a rectangular shape on the surface of an article according to the present invention. In the figure, a plurality of rectangular hydrophobic regions 11 and a plurality of rectangular hydrophilic regions 121 and 122 are formed on the surface 100a of the article. Here, among the plurality of hydrophilic regions, the width of the region 121 is configured to be wider than other neighboring hydrophilic regions 122, that is, a “highly hydrophilic region”. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hydrophobic region 11 is divided into 9 regions 111 to 119 in the figure, and the degree of affinity for water is different. In this embodiment, the hydrophilicity is in order from 111. Is configured to increase, that is, decrease hydrophobicity. That is, in the figure, it means that the degree of hydrophobicity decreases, that is, the degree of hydrophilicity increases, from black to gray to white.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, as a result of such a configuration, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the article increases in the upper direction of the figure. The degree increases from region A to region B. Due to such a change in hydrophilicity, even in the embodiment of this figure, the water apparently moves autonomously as in the embodiment of FIG.

  In this embodiment of the present invention, the size of each region divided within the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region is such that one water droplet spans at least two or more regions, more desirably three or more regions. It is preferable. For example, assuming water droplet adhesion due to use of a shower in the bathroom, if the water droplet adhesion size is 5 mm to 100 mm, each region is preferably 2 mm to 50 mm along the water movement direction. It is more preferable to form a surface in which a plurality of the surfaces can move water to several centimeters or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are configured to be in contact with one water droplet. For example, when assuming water droplet adhesion due to shower use in the bathroom, the water droplet adhesion size is 5 mm to 100 mm. The width of the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region, that is, the size in the direction orthogonal to the water movement direction is preferably 2 mm to 50 mm. In other words, it is preferable that the size of each region is smaller than half the size of the droplet.

  Furthermore, hydrophilicity changes also in the left-right direction of a figure from the difference of the area of the hydrophilic regions 121 and 122. FIG. As a result, water is more attracted to the highly hydrophilic region that is more hydrophilic than the other hydrophilic regions. By providing such a highly hydrophilic region, it is considered that a hydrophilic gradient is generated between the hydrophilic regions, and for example, even a small amount of water can be efficiently moved. In addition, the direction of water movement can be controlled by guiding water to the highly hydrophilic region. It is also possible to guide water in the direction of this highly hydrophilic region.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the formation of the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region can be performed as follows. For example, the article surface 100a itself is a surface having hydrophilic properties, and is a coating layer in which the hydrophobic region 11 is formed by painting. Here, in order to make the hydrophobic regions 111 to 119 different in the degree of hydrophobicity, they are formed with different types or amounts. Moreover, according to another aspect, you may form not only a hydrophobic area | region but a hydrophilic area | region as a coating layer.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the “highly hydrophilic region” combined with the second aspect is substantially the same in shape as the other hydrophilic regions, but the degree of the hydrophilic property is set in the neighborhood. It may be configured to be higher than other hydrophilic regions.

  Also about this aspect, the coating material which forms a coating layer, and the formation method of a coating layer can mention the thing similar to what was mentioned above.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophobic region as the coating layer can be formed as an aggregate of dots. However, what was formed in this way is also included in “the first aspect” of the present invention. For example, a hydrophobic substance may be applied by an inkjet method to form dots on a hydrophilic surface, or a hydrophilic substance and a hydrophobic substance may be applied to form dots. In this embodiment, when the hydrophobic region is formed as an aggregate of dots, the area of the hydrophobic region is expressed as the sum of the areas of the dots to which the hydrophobic substance forming the region is applied, and the sum of the areas of the dots The hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio is defined by comparing the area of the hydrophilic surface not covered with a hydrophobic substance, or the sum of the areas of dots formed by applying a hydrophilic substance. The That is, in the figure, it means that the area ratio of hydrophobic dots becomes smaller from black to gray to white.

A mode in which the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region is further changed In the mode shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the width (shape) of the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region is the same. However, according to another aspect of the present invention, the widths of the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region may be changed. For example, the width may be reduced as the distance from the highly hydrophilic region increases. FIG. 5 shows one embodiment thereof. In the figure, the width of the hydrophilic region 122 adjacent to the highly hydrophilic region 121 is narrower than that of the highly hydrophilic region, and the width of the adjacent hydrophilic region 123 is further narrowed. In this aspect, the apparent autonomous movement toward the highly hydrophilic region is promoted.

  Similarly to FIG. 5, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the widths of a plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region may be changed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment configured such that the width decreases as the distance from the highly hydrophilic region increases. In the figure, the width of the hydrophilic region 122 adjacent to the highly hydrophilic region 121 is narrower than that of the highly hydrophilic region, and the width of the adjacent hydrophilic region 123 is further narrowed. In this aspect, the apparent autonomous movement of water toward the highly hydrophilic region is promoted. In this aspect, the degree of hydrophilicity was changed by gradually changing the width of the hydrophilic region. However, according to another aspect of the present invention, the width is the same or in addition to changing the width. The degree of hydrophilicity may be gradually changed to promote the apparent autonomous movement of water toward the highly hydrophilic region.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region have substantially the same shape or width, but by changing the degree of the hydrophilic property, You may comprise so that the degree of hydrophilicity may decrease as it distances from a hydrophilic region.

Plural combinations According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the above-described configurations (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “units according to the present invention”) can be connected to form the surface of an article. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to form an article surface on which a plurality of highly hydrophilic regions 121, preferably periodically appear.

  Furthermore, by connecting a plurality of units according to the present invention, water can be apparently moved over a longer distance. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a mode in which a plurality of units according to the present invention are connected. In the figure, a plurality of units 100a are connected to each other between and around each region 20. Here, the region 20 is preferably a hydrophilic region. In this embodiment, the region 20 is a region where the water that has moved on the unit 100a once stays in this region, and further supplies water to the next unit 100a. By moving the unit 100a, staying in the region 20, and further moving the next unit 100a, water can be transferred over a long distance. FIGS. 9 and 10 show a mode in which a plurality of units 100a are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the left-right or upper limit direction. By arranging the units out of alignment, the direction in which water is drawn is not constant, so that a complex force is applied to the water, and it can effectively prevent the movement of water from stopping especially when the amount of water is small it is conceivable that.

  The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1
The surface of a 25 mm × 75 mm glass slide was washed and dried until the contact angle with water was 5 degrees or less. Osaka Organic Chemical Industry LAMBIC771W was diluted with pure water to 1% by weight to obtain a hydrophilic ink. A silicone oil containing polydimethylsiloxane and a silicone resin containing an alkoxysilyl group (Shin-Etsu Silicone KR401) are mixed so that the weight ratio is 1: 9, and the mixed solution is 20% by weight. Diluted with propanol to obtain a hydrophobic ink. Each ink was applied to a slide glass using an ink jet apparatus, and a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region were formed as a coating layer in which a plurality of lines were aligned to form an isosceles triangle as a whole.

  The amount of ink ejected by the ink jet apparatus was fixed, and the width of one line was set to 0.02-0.03 mm. By drawing a line in the height direction of the triangle and arranging a plurality of lines with the distance between the central axes in the length direction of adjacent lines being 0.06 mm, the base length is 1.0 mm, the height is 50 mm, A substantially triangular coating layer having a corner portion with a tip width of 0.1 mm was obtained. The plurality of hydrophilic regions were arranged at intervals of 0.12 mm with the bottoms aligned.

  Furthermore, among the plurality of triangular hydrophilic regions arranged, only for the hydrophilic region located at the center, the length of the base of the triangle is 1.3 mm, and the width of the tip where the remaining two sides intersect is 0.3 mm. A widened hydrophilic region was formed.

  The hydrophobic region has a substantially triangular shape with a base length of 1.0 mm, a height of 50 mm, and a tip width of the apex angle portion of 0.1 mm, and the apex angle is between the base angle and the base angle of the two hydrophilic regions. And that the apex angle of the hydrophilic region is between the base and base angles of the two hydrophobic regions.

  In this way, by alternately arranging the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region so that the hypotenuses face each other, a pattern in which the area ratio of the hydrophilic / hydrophobic region changes in one direction as shown in FIG. 1 was formed. A slide glass was obtained.

Comparative Example 1
It was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the central hydrophilic region was a triangle having the same shape as the other hydrophilic regions.

Evaluation About 0.025 mL of distilled water was dropped at 10 mm intervals in the long side direction with a micropipette along the center line in the long side direction of the slide glass of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 described above.

  In the slide glass of Example 1, the dropped liquid droplet was drastically deformed in the portion having the largest area ratio of the hydrophilic region, and the aspect ratio of the liquid droplet was 1.4. Furthermore, deformation is recognized from this droplet to the third droplet, that is, a droplet dropped on a portion 30 mm away in the direction in which the area ratio of the most hydrophobic region is the largest, and the vertical and horizontal directions of the third droplet are observed. The dimensional ratio was 1.3.

In the slide glass of Comparative Example 1, the dropped droplet was deformed into a portion having the largest area ratio of the hydrophilic region, and the aspect ratio of the droplet (the maximum length in the long side direction of the slide glass) (Length / maximum length in the short side direction) was 1.3.

Claims (11)

An article having a surface in contact with water,
The surface comprises a plurality of hydrophilic regions and hydrophobic regions, respectively.
The hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases in a certain direction of the surface, or the hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region decreases in the certain direction, or the hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases, and Cause both a decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region,
Thus, water has the property of apparently autonomously moving in the direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and at least one of the hydrophilic regions is wider than other neighboring hydrophilic regions. An article characterized by being wide or highly hydrophilic (hereinafter, this region is referred to as a “highly hydrophilic region”).   The increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is configured to increase an area ratio of the hydrophilic region to the hydrophobic region (hereinafter referred to as “hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio”) in the certain direction. The article according to claim 1, produced by:   The increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region increases the affinity to water per unit area of the hydrophilic region toward the certain direction, or per unit area of the hydrophobic region. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is generated by configuring to increase water affinity.   The said hydrophilic area | region and the said hydrophobic area | region are arrange | positioned along with adjacent to the direction (henceforth "horizontal direction") substantially orthogonal to the said water movement direction, It is any one of Claims 1-3 arrange | positioned. Goods.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region have the same width or hydrophilicity.   5. The width or the hydrophilicity of the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region or the hydrophilicity thereof decreases as the distance from the highly hydrophilic region increases. Articles described in 1.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of the highly hydrophilic regions are present.   The article according to claim 7, wherein the highly hydrophilic region appears periodically.   The article according to claim 8, wherein the width of the plurality of hydrophilic regions arranged in the vicinity of the highly hydrophilic region or the hydrophilicity thereof periodically changes.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region have a shape that is long in a water movement direction.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is a water-surrounding member.

Images