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An innovative method is introduced for environmental dust mitigation from a hydrophobic surface by a sessile water droplet. The sessile water droplet is located between two parallel plates having hydrophilic (at the top) and hydrophobic (at the bottom) states. The water droplet is located at the top hydrophilic plate, and the effect of the plate spacing on dust mitigation rate is examined. The droplet behavior is analyzed for different plate spacings and various droplet sizes using a high-speed camera. The fluid and the particle motions are simulated inside the droplet while adopting the experimental conditions. The findings demonstrate that the sessile droplet can effectively mitigate dust. Reducing the plate spacing increases the droplet meniscus diameter and enhances the dust removal rate. The surface tension force on the hydrophilic surface remains greater than that of the pinning force on the dusty hydrophobic surface even though the Magdeburg and surface tension forces contribute to the droplet pinning force on the hydrophobic dusty surface. Flow current is developed in the droplet fluid during the squeezing period, which considerably enhances the dust removal rate from the hydrophobic surface. The cleaned area increases with the droplet volume and plate spacing. Stria patterns are observed on the circumference of the dust-removed area. The present study provides a detailed analysis of a new method of dust removal from surfaces for self-cleaning applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Water droplet rolling motion over the hydrophobized and optically transparent micro-post array surfaces is examined towards dust removal pertinent to self-cleaning applications. Micro-post arrays are replicated over the optically transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. The influence of micro-post array spacing on droplet rolling dynamics is explored for clean and dusty surfaces. The droplet motions over clean and dusty micro-post array surfaces are monitored and quantified. Flow inside the rolling droplet is simulated adopting the experimental conditions. Findings reveal that micro-post gap spacing significantly influences droplet velocity on clean and dusty hydrophobized surfaces. Air trapped within the micro-post gaps acts like a cushion reducing the three-phase contact line and interfacial contact area of the rolling droplet. This gives rise to increased droplet velocity over the micro-post array surface. Droplet kinetic energy dissipation remains large for plain and micro-post arrays with small gap spacings. A Rolling droplet can pick up dust particles from micro-post array gaps; however, few dust residues are observed for large gap spacings. Nevertheless, dust residues are small in quantity over hydrophobized micro-post array surfaces., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Cost effective dust mitigation from surfaces is one of the challenges in various sectors. The reduction of dust adhesion on surfaces plays a vital role for dust mitigation from surfaces under the gravitational influence. Creating an avalanche effect on dusty surfaces improves the dust mitigation rate and provides an effective cleaning process. Hence, solution treatment of dust by low concentration hydrofluoric acid is considered towards reducing dust adhesion on glass surfaces. To increase the rate of dust mitigation, the avalanche influence is created by the higher density and larger size particles (5300 kg/m 3 and ~ 50 µm) than the average size dust particles (2800 kg/m 3 and 1.2 µm) via locating them in the top region of the dusty glass surfaces. Mitigation velocity of the dust particles is evaluated using a high-speed recording system and the tracker program. Findings revealed that solution treatment (curing) of the dust particles results in the formation of fluorine compounds, such as CaF 2 and MgF 2 , on dust surfaces, which suppress dust adhesion on surfaces. OSHA Globally Harmonized System lists the fluorine compounds formed as environmentally non-harmful. Avalanche's influence results in dust mitigation at a smaller tilt angle of the glass surface (~ 52°) than that of the case with none-avalanche influence (63°). Area cleaned on the glass surface, via dust mitigation, is larger as the avalanche is introduced, which becomes more apparent for the solution treated dust particles. Dust mitigation under avalanche influence improves optical transmittance of the dusty glass samples by a factor of 98%.

Environmental dust is modified towards self-cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust particles are collected in the local area of Dammam in Saudi Arabia and they are treated with a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution. The changes in chemical and adhesion characteristics of the dust particles prior and after the solution treatment are analyzed. Force of adhesion and work required to remove dust from hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces are assessed, separately, for solution treated and collected dust. We show that aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution treatment modifies some dust components while causing the formation of submicron cracks and nano/submicron porous/pillars like textures on the dust particles. The texture generated on dust surfaces after the solution treatment has a great influence on dust adhesion characteristics. Hence, the solution treated dust particles result in lower adhesion on hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces as compared to that of untreated dust. The gravitational force enables to remove solution treated dust from inclined glass surfaces, which becomes more apparent for hydrophobic surfaces.