JP2018172945A - High drainage goods - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide goods which enable water to autonomously move with force different from gravity as propulsion force.SOLUTION: High drainage goods comprise a surface with a plurality of water conveyance units. Each water conveyance unit has a plurality of hydrophilic regions and a plurality of hydrophobic regions. The water conveyance unit has nature which increases a hydrophilic character in the hydrophilic regions along a certain direction on the surface, decreases a hydrophobic character in the hydrophobic regions along the certain direction, or concurrently increases the hydrophilic character in the hydrophilic regions and decreases the hydrophobic character in the hydrophobic regions, to thereby causes water to apparently conduct autonomous move in the certain direction. The plurality of water conveyance units are arranged in tandem along the certain direction on the surfaces of the high drainage goods and thereby efficiently drain off the water therefrom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

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 water conducting units;
The water conveyance unit 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,
Therefore, it has the property that the water moves autonomously in this direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”),
The plurality of water guiding units are arranged in tandem in the water movement direction,
here,
For the water conveyance units adjacent in the upstream and downstream in the direction of water movement, the upstream end of the downstream water conveyance unit is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit, and at the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit. The hydrophobicity of the specific area is the same as or higher than the hydrophobicity of the specific area at the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit, or the hydrophilicity of the downstream end of the upstream water-conducting unit is It is the same as or lower than the hydrophilicity at the upstream end of the downstream water guide unit.

It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the surface of the articles | goods by this invention. In the figure, on the surface 100a of the article, a hydrophilic region 11 is formed in an inverted triangular shape, and a plurality of hydrophobic regions 12 are formed in a triangular shape. 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 in which the some hydrophilic region and the some hydrophobic region in the surface of an article | item are substantially the same shape. It is a figure explaining the autonomous autonomous movement of the water placed on the surface of the article | item of FIG. The hydrophobic region 122 adjacent to the highly hydrophobic region 121 is a diagram in which the width is narrower than that of the highly hydrophobic region. It is a figure explaining the aspect which made the hydrophobicity degree of the area | region 121 higher than the other adjacent hydrophobic area | region 122 although the some hydrophilic region and the some hydrophobic area | region in the surface of an article | item are substantially the same shape. It is a figure of the aspect which comprised the hydrophobic area | region 122,123 and the fall of hydrophobicity larger compared with the highly hydrophobic area | region 121. FIG. It is a figure which shows the one aspect | mode of the surface of the articles | goods by this invention. Two hydrophobic regions 12a and 12b are placed on the hydrophilic surface 11 in the direction of water movement, and the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio of the portion indicated by the region A of the upstream water-conducting unit is It is made the same as the hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio of the part shown by the area | region B of a water conveyance unit, or made smaller. It is a figure which shows the aspect in which the water movement direction of the water guide unit adjacent upstream and downstream in a water movement direction is parallel, but they are not on one straight line. It is a figure which shows the surface of the article | item by one aspect | mode of this invention, and the water movement direction of an upstream water conveyance unit and a downstream water conveyance unit is not parallel or in a straight line, As a result, a water movement direction can be changed. FIG. It is a figure which shows the surface of the articles | goods by one aspect | mode of this invention, and the water movement direction of an upstream water conveyance unit and a downstream water conveyance unit is not parallel or in a straight line, and the hydrophobic area | region has shifted | deviated little by little. In addition, it is a diagram of an embodiment in which the number of hydrophobic regions is not the same. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mode in which two water guiding units shown in FIG. 3 are combined, and the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end of the upstream hydrophobic unit 111 is different from the hydrophobic property of the hydrophobic region at the upstream end of the downstream water guiding unit 112. Same as sex or higher. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a mode in which two water guiding units shown in FIG. 3 are combined, and the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end of the upstream hydrophobic unit 111 is similar to the mode shown in FIG. It is the figure which is made the same as or higher than the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the upstream end of 112, but shows a different aspect in that the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are misplaced. It is a schematic diagram of the articles | goods made into the object of simulation in an Example.

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 embodiment of the present invention, a building material can be constituted by this article, for example, an outer wall material; an inner wall, a ceiling and a floor material of a bathroom or a shower room; a bathtub; 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 materials according to the present invention are used for interior walls, ceilings and floors of bathrooms and shower rooms; bathtubs; washbasins and hand basins (eg, bowl surfaces and edges); sinks; toilets; faucets; Top materials used; Glass members such as mirrors and windows; Counters used in hand-washing basins, 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 obtained by coating these materials, or those obtained by laminating plastics (for example, composite materials such as laminated steel plates and coated steel plates) can be used.

Surface of article and water movement The surface of the article according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of water guiding units, and the plurality of water guiding units are arranged in tandem in the “water moving direction” described later. The water guiding unit includes a plurality of hydrophilic regions and hydrophobic regions, and the hydrophilicity in the hydrophilic region increases in a certain direction on the surface of the article, or the hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is increased on the surface of the article. It is configured to decrease toward a certain direction, 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 a hydrophobic region changes to a fixed direction, and water 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. In the present invention, this apparent autonomous movement direction of water is referred to as “water movement direction”. 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 the present invention, the direction in which this water apparently moves autonomously is referred to as the “water movement direction”. Further, when the surface is inclined or vertical, it is possible to move water more efficiently by both the autonomous movement direction of water and the force of 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.

Water Transfer Unit First, the water transfer unit provided by the present invention will be described.
The embodiment of changing the ratio of the water-conducting unit: hydrophilic / hydrophobic area in the first embodiment The concept of the “hydrophobic / hydrophobic area ratio” in the present invention and the method of changing it will be described below. 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 hydrophilic regions 11 are formed in an inverted triangular shape on the surface 100a of the article, and a hydrophobic region 12 is further formed in a triangular shape. In this embodiment, the article surface 100a may itself be a surface having hydrophilic properties, forming the hydrophobic region 12, and the hydrophilic region 11 being provided as a result.

  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 out from the hydrophobic region 12 side acts on the water, and a force 32 drawn from the hydrophilic region 11 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, 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 12 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. When the article surface 100a is a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophilic region 11 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.

  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.

The second embodiment of the water-conducting unit: the aspect of changing the affinity for water per unit area, and according to another aspect of the present invention, the increase in hydrophilicity or the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is directed in a certain direction. Thus, the article is configured in combination with a mode that is formed by increasing the affinity for water per unit area of the hydrophilic region or by increasing the affinity for water per unit area of the hydrophobic region. .

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the second aspect. In the figure, a plurality of rectangular hydrophilic regions 11 and a plurality of rectangular hydrophobic regions 12 are formed on the surface 100a of the article. Furthermore, in this embodiment, 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 hydrophilicity in order from 21 Is configured to increase, that is, decrease hydrophobicity. That is, in the figure, it means that the degree of hydrophobicity decreases from black to gray to white. Also in this aspect, the article surface 100a may be a surface having a hydrophilic property itself, so that the hydrophobic region 12 is formed, and the hydrophilic region 11 is provided as a result.

  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. The degree increases from region A to region B. Due to such a change in hydrophilicity, even in the embodiment of this figure, water apparently moves autonomously as in the case of the first embodiment, that is, the embodiment of FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the apparent autonomous movement of water placed on the surface of the article shown in FIG. When the 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, hydrophilicity may be increased by moving the hydrophilic region 12 toward the downstream side in the water movement direction. In that case, by the force that pushes out the water generated in the hydrophilic region 12 due to the change in hydrophilicity, Or in addition to the force which pushes out the water which arises with the change of hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic area | region 11, the force which arises in a hydrophilic area | region combines, and the water 20 moves to a downstream direction.

  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.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, 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, 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. Moreover, according to another aspect, you may form not only a hydrophobic area | region but a hydrophilic area | region as a coating layer.

  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.

Embodiment with Highly Hydrophilic Region or Highly Hydrophobic Region In the present invention, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, at least one of the hydrophilic regions is wider or more hydrophilic than other neighboring hydrophilic regions. Region (hereinafter referred to as `` highly hydrophilic region ''), or at least one of the hydrophobic regions is wider or less hydrophilic than other neighboring hydrophobic regions (hereinafter referred to as this region). (Referred to as “highly hydrophobic region”).

  Due to the existence of such a highly hydrophilic region or highly hydrophobic region, the above-described apparent autonomous movement of water can be performed more efficiently. Due to the presence of such a 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 droplets, 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, by providing a highly hydrophilic region or a highly hydrophobic region, a hydrophilic gradient can be generated between the hydrophilic region or the hydrophobic region, and the balance can be reduced. 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 hydrophilic region.

  FIG. 5 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 the article according to the present invention. A plurality of hydrophobic regions are formed in a triangular shape on the surface 100a of the article, and the hydrophilic region 11 is formed in an inverted triangular shape. Here, among the plurality of hydrophobic regions, the width of the region 121 is configured to be wider than other neighboring hydrophobic regions 122, that is, a “highly hydrophobic region”. In the embodiment of this figure, 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 hydrophobic regions 121 and 122. As a result, water is repelled more in highly hydrophobic regions that are less hydrophilic than other hydrophobic regions. By providing such a highly hydrophobic region, it is considered that a hydrophilic gradient is generated between the hydrophobic regions, and for example, even a small amount of water can be efficiently moved. In addition, by guiding water from the highly hydrophobic region to the hydrophilic region, it is possible to control the direction of water movement. It is also possible to guide water from this highly hydrophobic region to the hydrophilic region.

  In FIG. 6, among the plurality of hydrophobic regions having substantially the same shape, the degree of the hydrophobic property of the region 121 is made higher than that of other neighboring hydrophobic regions 122. FIG. 6B schematically shows the degree of hydrophobicity in the height direction at the position AA in FIG. The region 121 is configured to have the highest hydrophobicity, that is, a “highly hydrophobic region”.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the highly hydrophobic region is formed by changing the type or amount of the material forming it from that of the other hydrophobic region, so that the degree of hydrophobicity of the highly hydrophobic region is different from that of the other hydrophobic region. It can be different from hydrophobicity. 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 hydrophobic region and the highly hydrophobic region are formed as an aggregate of dots. For example, a dot may be formed by applying a hydrophobic substance by an inkjet method. This is because the hydrophobicity can be easily changed by the density of the dots or by changing the diameter and / or interval of the dots.

  According to another aspect, the degree of hydrophilicity is gradually changed with the same width or in addition to changing the width so as to promote the apparent autonomous movement of water toward the hydrophilic region. May be. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, compared to the highly hydrophobic region 121, the hydrophobic regions 122 and 123 and the decrease in hydrophobicity are configured to be larger. Specifically, in the horizontal rows indicated by 21 to 26 in the figure, the degree of hydrophobicity is reduced, the decrease in the high hydrophobic area 121 is small, and the decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic areas 122 and 123 is compared with that. Increase As a result, the apparent autonomous movement of water is urged from the highly hydrophilic region 121 toward the hydrophobic regions 122 and 123 having a low degree of hydrophobicity, and the movement of water in the direction of the hydrophilic region 11 is further promoted. The

  As described above, the highly hydrophobic region has been described, but the highly hydrophilic region can be configured in the same manner. In addition, the hydrophobicity and the hydrophilicity are interchanged, and the effect is from the opposite property that the hydrophilicity is high. It is clear that substantially the same effect is produced by the action.

Combination of a plurality of water conveyance units The present invention comprises a plurality of water conveyance units arranged in tandem in the direction of water movement. Thereby, water can be apparently moved over a longer distance.

  In the present invention, the fact that the water conveyance units are arranged in tandem in the water movement direction means that at least a part of the downstream water conveyance units exists on an extension line of the water conveyance direction of the upstream water conveyance unit. Thus, a tandem arrangement typically means that the water movement direction is the same and the upstream and downstream lines are aligned. However, if the water movement direction is parallel but not on the same straight line, the water movement direction is not parallel. In other words, the case where the water moving directions are different is also included.

  In the present invention, the hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity at the upstream end or downstream end of the water-conducting unit specifically refers to the hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio, the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region in a specific area at the upstream end or downstream end of the water-conducting unit, Or the hydrophilic property of a hydrophilic region is meant. The specific area preferably means an area capable of supplying the hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity necessary for the above-described autonomous movement force to come into contact with water, and more preferably, the width of the water guiding unit is one side, It means the area of a region having a length approximately equal to the water droplet size as one side.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a mode in which water conveyance units are connected. In the figure, water guiding units 101 and 102 are arranged in the direction of water movement (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). These water conveyance units are the water conveyance units of the first aspect, that is, a plurality of hydrophilic regions (white region 11 in the figure) and a plurality of hydrophobic regions (gray region 12 in the figure) intersect in the direction of water movement. Direction: Crosswise arranged in the horizontal direction and configured so that the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio varies in the direction of water movement, and in this embodiment, the water conveyance units adjacent upstream and downstream in the direction of water movement. The hydrophobicity of the downstream end of the upstream water-conducting unit is equal to or higher than the hydrophobicity of the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit, or the hydrophilicity of the downstream end of the upstream water-conducting unit 8 is the same as or lower than the hydrophilicity of the upstream end of the downstream water guide unit.Specifically, in the embodiment of Fig. 8, it is surrounded by the dotted line of the upstream water guide unit 101. The hydrophilic / hydrophobic area of the portion indicated by region A Is equal to or smaller than the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio of the portion indicated by the region B surrounded by the dotted line of the downstream water guide unit 102. In the present invention, the region A and the region B The areas are compared as a rule in principle.

  The water placed in the water guide unit 101 on the upstream side apparently moves autonomously and reaches the vicinity of the downstream of the water guide unit 101. The hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio at the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit 102 is the same as or larger than the hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio at the downstream end of the water-conducting unit 101, that is, the region B has the same hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio than the region A. Or it is more hydrophilic, so that the water smoothly moves from the water guiding unit 101 to the water guiding unit 102.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, there may be a hydrophilic region between the water guiding units 101 and 012. In the figure, there is a region 30 between the water guiding units 101 and 012, and a portion of the water is attracted laterally by this region. When the water transfer unit 101 shifts to 102, the hydrophobic region 12b creates a “barrier” that prevents water. However, the water is accumulated in the lateral direction due to the movement of the water, so that the barrier region can be easily overcome. By inducing water into the water, it is possible to support the transfer of water.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the water movement directions of adjacent water guide units upstream and downstream in the water movement direction are parallel, but they are not on the same straight line. Good.

  Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the water movement directions of the upstream water conveyance unit and the downstream water conveyance unit may not be parallel or in a straight line. In that case, the advantage that the water moving direction can be changed is obtained. In the illustrated embodiment, the water-conducting units are placed on the hydrophilic surface 11 with the hydrophobic regions 12a and 12b aligned in the direction of water movement. The water transfer direction of the water guide unit 101 is the horizontal direction in the drawing, but that of the water transfer unit 102 is the vertical direction in the drawing. A hydrophilic region 30 is preferably provided between the water guiding units 101 and 102. In this aspect, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio of the portion indicated by the region A of the upstream water-conducting unit 101 is the same as the hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio of the portion indicated by the region B of the downstream water-conducting unit 102, or Made smaller.

  In the aspect of FIG. 10, the water placed on the water guide unit 101 on the upstream side apparently moves autonomously and reaches the vicinity of the downstream of the water guide unit 101. The hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio at the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit 102 is the same as or larger than the hydrophilic-hydrophobic area ratio at the downstream end of the water-conducting unit 101, that is, the hydrophilicity is the same or more hydrophilic. Water smoothly moves from the water guiding unit 101 to the water guiding unit 102. At that time, the water movement direction can be changed by about 90 degrees in the figure. That is, in the present invention, there is an advantage that the water transfer direction can be freely set between the same straight line and the substantially right angle with respect to the water guide units adjacent in the upstream and downstream. . Here, due to the presence of the hydrophilic region 30, the water once stays here and assists in the smooth movement from the water guiding units 101 to 102. In this embodiment, the width of the region 30 is preferably set to 0.5 mm to 2 mm, for example.

  Further, it is not always necessary that the downstream end of the hydrophobic region 12a constituting the water guiding unit 101 and the upstream end of the hydrophobic unit 12b constituting the water guiding unit 102 face each other as shown in FIG. As can be seen, as long as the region B is more hydrophilic or equivalent to the region A, the regions B may be slightly shifted, and the number of hydrophobic regions may not be the same.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of water-conducting units are arranged such that the above-described increase in hydrophilicity or decrease in hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic region is directed to water in a unit area of the hydrophilic region. The affinity for water may be increased, or the affinity for water per unit area of the hydrophobic region may be increased. That is, in a plurality of water conveyance units adjacent upstream and downstream in the water movement direction, the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region at the downstream end of the water movement direction of one water conveyance unit is on the downstream side of the water movement direction of the water conveyance unit. Regarding an aspect in which the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region at the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit is lower than the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region at the upstream end of another adjacent water conveyance unit, the upstream end of the downstream water conveyance unit It should be the same as or lower than the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region. Alternatively, in a plurality of water conveyance units adjacent upstream and downstream in the water movement direction, the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end in the water movement direction of one water conveyance unit is adjacent to the downstream side in the movement direction of the water conveyance unit. In the aspect in which the hydrophobicity at the upstream end of the other water-conducting unit is higher than the hydrophobicity at the upstream end of the other water-conducting unit, the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end of the upstream water-conducting unit is It should be the same as or higher than the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region.

  FIG. 12 is a combination of two water guiding units shown in FIG. 3, that is, water guiding units 111 and 112, which are water guiding units according to this embodiment. In the embodiment shown in the figure, a hydrophobic region 12 is formed on the hydrophilic surface 11, and further in the hydrophobic region 12, upward in the drawing, that is, downstream in the water movement direction. Constructed to reduce hydrophobicity. In addition, in the present invention, the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end of the upstream hydrophobic unit 111 is the same as the hydrophobic property of the hydrophobic region at the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit 112, or Become higher.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the water placed on the water guide unit 111 apparently moves autonomously and reaches the vicinity of the downstream of the water guide unit 111. The hydrophobicity of the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit 112 is the same as or lower than the hydrophobicity of the downstream end of the water-conducting unit 111, that is, the hydrophilicity is the same or more hydrophilic, so that the water is smoothly The water transfer unit 111 is shifted to the water transfer unit 112. Even in this embodiment, a hydrophilic region may be provided between the water guiding units 111 and 112.

  Further, FIG. 13 is a combination of two water conveyance units shown in FIG. 3 which is a water conveyance unit as in FIG. 12, that is, water conveyance units 111 and 112. In the embodiment of this figure, In the water guiding units 111 and 112, the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region are interchanged. Even in this case, water can move smoothly. Even in this embodiment, a hydrophilic region may be provided between the water guiding units 111 and 112.

Reference Example As shown in FIG. 14, the analysis of the autonomous movement of water in an article in which three water guiding units are arranged in tandem 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)
The surface properties of the hydrophilic regions of the test article regions 101 to 103 were set uniformly at a water contact angle of 25 ° to surround and touch all the hydrophobic regions. The details are as follows.
Region 101
Hydrophilic region: water contact angle 25 °
Hydrophobic region: A plurality of approximately isosceles triangles with a base width of 6 mm, a tip width of 1 mm, and a height of 100 mm are aligned so that the bases are aligned and adjacent base angles are in contact.
Water contact angle 85 °
Region 102
Hydrophilic region: water contact angle 25 °
Hydrophobic region: Multiple isosceles triangles with a base width of 2 mm, a tip width of 1 mm, and a height of 60 mm are aligned and aligned at the base.
Water contact angle 80 °
Region 103
Hydrophilic region: water contact angle 25 °
Hydrophobic region: A series of approximately isosceles triangles with a bottom width of 1.2 mm, a tip width of 0.4 mm, and a height of 30 mm, with the bottoms aligned.
Water contact angle 70 °
As a result of the result simulation, water reached the most downstream end of the region 103.

Claims (9)

An article having a surface in contact with water,
The surface comprises a plurality of water conducting units;
The water conveyance unit 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,
Therefore, it has the property that the water moves autonomously in this direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “water movement direction”),
The plurality of water guiding units are arranged in tandem in the water movement direction,
here,
For the water conveyance units adjacent in the upstream and downstream in the direction of water movement, the upstream end of the downstream water conveyance unit is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit, and at the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit. The hydrophobicity of the specific area is the same as or higher than the hydrophobicity of the specific area at the upstream end of the downstream water-conducting unit, or the hydrophilicity of the downstream end of the upstream water-conducting unit is An article having the same or lower hydrophilicity at the upstream end of the downstream water guide unit.   For the water conveyance units adjacent upstream and downstream in the water movement direction, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio at the specific area at the downstream end of the upstream water conveyance unit is the hydrophilic / hydrophobic area ratio at the specific area at the upstream end of the downstream water conveyance unit. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is the same or smaller.   The hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region at the downstream end of the water transfer direction of one water transfer unit is higher than the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic region at the upstream end of the downstream water transfer unit for the water transfer units adjacent upstream and downstream in the water transfer direction. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is also low.   The hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the downstream end of the water transfer direction of one water transfer unit is greater than the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic region at the upstream end of the downstream water transfer unit for the water transfer units adjacent upstream and downstream in the water transfer direction. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is also expensive.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water transfer direction is not on the same straight line with respect to the water guide units adjacent in the water transfer direction upstream and downstream.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water transfer direction has a relationship from the same straight line to a substantially right angle with respect to the water guide units adjacent in the water transfer direction upstream and downstream.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a hydrophilic region between the water guide units adjacent in the upstream and downstream in the moving direction.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a hydrophilic region at a side end parallel to the water movement direction of the water guide unit.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is a water-surrounding member.

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