JP2017227089A - High drainage ability product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a product autonomously transferring water with propulsion force as force different from gravity.SOLUTION: There is provided a product, in which a product surface comprises regions where hydrophilicity is increased toward a predetermined direction of the surface, or regions where hydrophobicity is decreased toward the predetermined direction, or regions where hydrophilicity is increased and regions where hydrophobicity is decreased, so that the product has a property that water is apparently autonomously transferred in the predetermined direction and the increment in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity are generated without modification in area thereof. From such product surface, water is efficiently discharged.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.

JP 2003-39013 A JP 2008-31665 A JP-A-2005-744 JP 2005-331410 A

  The present inventors have recently controlled the hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas of the building material surface to make the water appear to move autonomously using a force different from gravity as a driving force, effectively removing water from the building material surface. I got the knowledge. The present invention is based on such knowledge.

  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 is a region where the hydrophilicity increases toward a certain direction of the surface, or a region where the hydrophobicity decreases toward the certain direction, or a region where the hydrophilicity increases, and the hydrophobicity decreases. With areas,
Therefore, the water has an apparently autonomous movement in the certain direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and the increase in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity change the area. It is characterized by the fact that it occurs without any action.

It is a mimetic diagram showing surface 10 of article 1 by the 1st mode of the present invention. The surface 10 is divided into nine regions 21 to 29, each having a different degree of affinity for water. It is a figure explaining a mode that the water placed on the surface of the article | item shown by FIG. 1 moves seemingly autonomously. It is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the some hydrophilic region and the some hydrophobic region were formed in the surface of the article | item by the 2nd aspect of this invention. It is a figure explaining a mode that the water placed on the surface of the article | item shown by FIG. 3 moves seemingly autonomously. 3 is a schematic diagram of an article that is a simulation target in Example 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an article that is a simulation target in Example 2. FIG.

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 hydrophilic region or a hydrophobic region, and the hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases toward a certain direction of the surface of the article, or the hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is increased. , Configured to decrease toward a certain direction of 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. In the present invention, the increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region occurs without changing the areas of the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region. Specifically, the water affinity per unit area of the hydrophilic region increases or the water affinity per unit area of the hydrophobic region increases toward the certain direction of the surface of the article. It is generated by composing.

An article according to the present invention, in its first aspect, is an article having a surface in contact with water,
The surface comprises a region where the hydrophilicity increases toward a certain direction of the surface or a region where the hydrophobicity decreases toward a certain direction of the surface;
Therefore, the water has an apparently autonomous movement in the certain direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and the increase in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity change the area. It is characterized by the fact that it does not occur.

The article according to the present invention is an article having a surface in contact with water in the second aspect,
The surface comprises a plurality of the hydrophilic regions and the 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,
Therefore, the water has an apparently autonomous movement in the certain direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and the hydrophilicity increase in the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic property in the hydrophobic region. The decrease occurs without changing the areas of the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region.

  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.

  In the first aspect, on the surface of the article, the hydrophilicity increases in a certain direction of the surface or the hydrophobicity decreases in a certain direction, and these changes do not change the area. It is supposed to occur. When water is placed on a surface that changes in hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, the water is applied with a force to move from a location with a small hydrophilicity to a location with a large hydrophilicity, or with a large hydrophobicity. A force is applied to move from one location to a small location. It is thought that this force is the driving force, and 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. In addition, when the surface is inclined or vertical, it is possible to move water more efficiently by the forces of both the direction in which the water apparently moves autonomously 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.

  The surface of the article according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region, and when water is placed so as to contact both the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region, the water is hydrophilic in the first aspect. In addition to the force associated with the change in property or hydrophobicity, a force pushed from the hydrophobic region and a force drawn from the hydrophilic region act. In the present invention, 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 increases. However, the water is drawn in a direction in which the affinity for water is relatively increased. It is thought that this force is the driving force, and 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. In addition, when the surface is inclined or vertical, it is possible to move water more efficiently by the forces of both the direction in which the water apparently moves autonomously 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.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the surface of an article according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the surface 10 of the article is divided into nine regions 21 to 29, each of which has a different degree of affinity for water. In this embodiment, the degree of hydrophilicity increases from 21 in order, that is, hydrophobic. It is configured to reduce the performance.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining how the water placed on the surface of the article shown in FIG. 1 apparently moves autonomously. When water 20 is placed on the surface of the article shown in FIG. 1, a force is applied to the water to move from a location having a small hydrophilicity to a location having a large hydrophilicity, or a location having a large hydrophobicity. A force is added to move from a small point to a small point. For example, in FIG. 2, the hydrophilicity of the region 26 is greater than that of the region 25, and a force to move from the region 25 to the region 26 is applied to the water 20. Furthermore, since the hydrophilicity of the region 27 is greater than that of the region 26, a force that moves from the region 26 to the region 27 is applied to the water 20. Using these forces as propulsive forces, the water 20 moves upward from the bottom of the figure. That is, in the present invention, the water 20 moves in the direction in which the hydrophilicity increases or in the direction in which the hydrophobicity decreases in the hydrophobic region. This direction is defined as the water movement direction in the present invention.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, preferably the increase in hydrophilicity is caused by configuring to increase the affinity for water per unit area, and the decrease in hydrophobicity is the affinity for water per unit area. This is caused by constructing to increase.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the increase in hydrophilicity is caused by configuring the affinity for water to increase stepwise in each region. Here, the size of such a region is preferably such that one water droplet extends over at least two or more regions, more desirably three or more regions. 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. In other words, it is preferable that the size of each region is smaller than half the size of the droplet.

  FIG. 3 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 second aspect of the present invention. That is, the second aspect of the present invention is a configuration that can be understood as providing an area having a property different from that of the area 11 between the areas 11 existing on the surface of the first aspect. In FIG. 3, an article surface 1 is a surface having a hydrophilic property itself, and a plurality of rectangular hydrophobic regions 11 are formed thereon. As a result, a plurality of rectangular hydrophilic regions 12 are formed on the article surface 1. Here, the hydrophobic region 11 is divided into 9 regions 21 to 29 in the figure, each having a different degree of affinity for water. In this embodiment, the degree of hydrophilicity increases from 21 in order, that is, hydrophobic. It is configured to reduce the performance.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the apparent autonomous movement of water placed on the surface of the article shown in FIG. When water 20 is placed on the surface of the article shown in FIG. 3, a force 31 to be pushed acts on the water in accordance with the change in hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity in the first embodiment. With this force as a driving force, the water 20 moves upward from the bottom of the figure, that is, in the direction of the arrow 32. That is, in the present invention, the water 20 moves in the direction in which the hydrophilicity increases in the hydrophobic region or in the direction in which the hydrophobicity decreases. This direction is defined as the water movement direction in the present invention. The hydrophilic region 12 becomes a region (water channel) through which water passes due to its hydrophilic property, and is restricted by the deformation region of the droplet by being sandwiched by the hydrophobic region, so that the deformation of the droplet in the water movement direction (that is, the droplet on the hydrophilic side) Is facilitated to reach the downstream side more easily. In the second aspect of the present invention, the hydrophilicity may be increased by moving the hydrophilic region 12 toward the downstream side in the water movement direction. In that case, water generated by the change in hydrophilicity is pushed out in the hydrophilic region 12. The water 20 moves in the downstream direction in combination with the force generated in the hydrophilic region in addition to the force pushing out the water generated by the change in the hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region 11 or the force generated in the hydrophilic region.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, preferably, the increase in hydrophilicity is caused by the constitution that the affinity for water per unit area of the hydrophilic region is increased, and the decrease in hydrophobicity is performed in units of the hydrophobic region. It is caused by configuring to increase the affinity for water per area. In this embodiment, the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region is preferably long in the water movement direction, preferably rectangular. In the second embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the width of the hydrophilic region and / or the hydrophobic region is the same on the upstream side and the downstream side in the water movement direction.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the increase in hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is caused by the affinity to water in each region divided within the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region. It is generated by configuring to increase stepwise along the moving direction. Here, the size of each region divided in the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region is preferably such that one water droplet spans at least two or more regions, more desirably three or more regions. . 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.

  In the present invention, the term “hydrophobic and hydrophilic” is used in a relative sense as long as the driving force for the water 20 is generated. For example, it means a property expressed as an absolute value as a contact angle with water. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, hydrophilic means a static contact angle with water of 0 ° to 120 °, and hydrophobic means a static contact angle with water of 40 ° to 180 °. .

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the article surface 1 itself has a hydrophilic property and forms a hydrophobic region 11. However, a hydrophilic region is formed on the surface having a hydrophobic property itself, and this hydrophilic surface is formed. The region may be configured such that its hydrophilicity increases in a certain direction. Further, both the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region may be formed, and both the increase in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity may be caused in both.

  In the present invention, the formation of the surface in which the hydrophilic property or hydrophobic property per unit area in the first embodiment is changed, and the formation of the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region in the second embodiment are preferably provided with a coating layer. Can be performed. That is, for example, the region 10 in FIG. 1 is made of a hydrophilic or hydrophobic coating itself, so that the regions 21 to 29 are regions having different degrees of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity. Form. Further, the article surface 1 shown in FIG. 3 is a surface having a hydrophilic property itself, and the hydrophobic region 11 is a coating layer formed of a hydrophobic paint. Here, since the hydrophobic regions 21 to 29 are regions having different degrees of hydrophobicity, the hydrophobic regions 21 to 29 are formed with different types or amounts. Further, when a hydrophilic region is formed on the surface having its own hydrophobic property and this hydrophilic region is configured so that the hydrophilicity increases in a certain direction, it is a coating layer formed of a hydrophilic paint. Further, both the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region may be formed, and both the increase in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity may be caused in both.

  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.

  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.

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 analysis of the autonomous movement of water in the article shown in FIG. 5 was performed as follows. The conditions were as follows.
Freeware for simulation
H. Matsui, Y. Noda, and T. Hasegawa, "Hybrid Energy-Minimization Simulation of Equilibrium Droplet Shapes on Hydrophilic / Hydrophobic Patterned Surfaces", Langmuir, 2012, 28 (44), pp 15450-15453)
Thirteen hydrophobic regions 11 having a width of 2.0 mm are formed on the surface of a hydrophilic article having a contact angle with the test article water of 20 ° at an interval of 2.0 mm. The hydrophobic region 11 is further divided into 13 regions having a width of 10.0 mm in the figure, and the regions are numbered from 1 to 13 as shown in FIG. The contact angle of the 13 region was set to 100 ° in the number 1, and the contact angle of the region 13 was defined to be 40 ° by decreasing the contact angle of the region 13 in increments of 5 °. Then, the behavior when 3 mL of water was placed in the region 3 was analyzed.
As a result of the result simulation, water reached the hydrophilic region at the left end in the figure.

Example 2
The analysis of the autonomous movement of water in the article shown in FIG. 6 was performed as follows. Freeware for the simulation was the same as that in Example 1.
A rectangular hydrophobic region having a width of 50 mm × 130 mm is formed on the surface of a hydrophilic article having a contact angle with water of the test article of 20 °, and this hydrophobic region is further divided into 13 equal parts at intervals of 10 mm, as shown in FIG. Numbered areas from 1 to 13. The contact angle of the 13 region was set to 100 ° in the number 1, and the contact angle of the region 13 was defined to be 40 ° by decreasing the contact angle of the region 13 in increments of 5 °. Then, the behavior when 3 mL of water was placed in the region 3 was analyzed.
As a result of the result simulation, water reached the hydrophilic region at the left end in the figure.

Claims (9)

An article having a surface in contact with water,
The surface is a region where the hydrophilicity increases toward a certain direction of the surface, or a region where the hydrophobicity decreases toward the certain direction, or a region where the hydrophilicity increases, and the hydrophobicity decreases. With areas,
Therefore, the water has an apparently autonomous movement in the certain direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”), and the increase in hydrophilicity and the decrease in hydrophobicity change the area. Articles that are produced without causing 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,
The article according to claim 1, wherein water apparently moves autonomously in the water movement direction.   The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the increase in hydrophilicity is caused by configuring so that the affinity for water per unit area increases in the certain direction.   The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the decrease in hydrophobicity is caused by configuring the affinity to water per unit area to increase in the certain direction.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which causes both an increase in hydrophilicity and a decrease in hydrophobicity.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the hydrophilicity increasing region, the hydrophobicity decreasing region, 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 6, wherein the hydrophilicity increasing region or the hydrophilic region has the same width.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hydrophobicity-decreasing region or the hydrophobic region has the same width. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hydrophilicity increasing region, the hydrophobicity decreasing region, the hydrophilic region and / or the hydrophobic region are formed as a coating layer.

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