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Waterproofing material developed using fly ash
Why is it in news?
- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have developed a cheap waterproofing material by coating fly ash.
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- Fly ash:(1) It is a waste by-product from coal-based thermal power plants, with stearic acid, which is a surfactant.(2) Fly ash varies in size from 100 nanometres to a few microns and can thus provide surfaces with different roughness based on the size of the particles chosen.
- Water-repelling surface:(1) While fly ash is extremely water-loving (hydrophilic), it turns into a highly water-repelling surface once coated with stearic acid.(2) The stearic acid-coated fly ash surface can be made to behave like one of the two naturally occurring water-repelling materials- rose petals or lotus leaves- by the varying the surface roughness.
- Working:(1) Air pockets tend to form when the gap between particles reduces making it difficult for water to get into the gaps.(2) Water droplets are suspended on top of the air pockets and so has less adhesion to the surface.(3) So when the surface is tilted slightly (5 degree) the droplets tend to roll off easily.
- Future work: More work is needed to test the mechanical and chemical durability of the fly ash waterproofing material.
Source
The Hindu