This article introduces nanofibers as oil adsorbent as demonstrated in the “Amazing Oil Absorbing WATAPOI”!
Why don’t cotton-like nanofibers absorb water?
The secret lies in the structure of the nanofibers.
This is a section of WATAPOI photographed with an electron microscope. You can see a large number of nano-level fine fibers grouped together.
The unevenness created by these fine fibers causes surface tension, which makes it possible for WATAPOI to repel water.
Next, let us introduce the principle of oil absorption.
Nanofibers absorb oil because of a phenomenon called “capillary action”.
In this capillary action, the thinner the capillary tube is, the more liquid is sucked up inside of it.
Nanofibers with nano-level fiber fineness can absorb about 50 times its own weight of oil due to the existence of a large number of these fine capillaries.
The surface tension and capillary action introduced earlier make it possible to “repel water and absorb oil”.
What do you think? In this article, we introduced how nanofibers repel water and absorb oil! In this way, nanofibers have various effects and have the potential to develop new products that have never existed before.