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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mater.
Sec. Polymeric and Composite Materials
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmats.2024.1485713

Influence of Microstructure on the Wettability of Tobacco Leaves: A Theoretical Model and Quantitative Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Jinxin Tie Jinxin Tie 1*Binfeng Shen Binfeng Shen 2*Yuehui Qiao Yuehui Qiao 3*Wei Zhao Wei Zhao 4Ronghua Xu Ronghua Xu 1*Miao Wang Miao Wang 1*Kecheng Li Kecheng Li 2*Jie Qian Jie Qian 1*
  • 1 Ningbo Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
  • 2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
  • 3 Technology Center, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou, China
  • 4 Faculty of Chemical Engineering & Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Wettability has widespread applications in everyday life such as waterproof clothing, moisture-proof materials, and self-cleaning surfaces. It is also a common phenomenon observed in plants like the lotus, where superhydrophobicity is primarily influenced by chemical composition and microstructure, with the latter playing the most critical role. In this paper, we explore how microstructure affects the wettability of tobacco leaves and examine the relationship between microstructure and contact angle.We select three different Roast tobacco leaves and use Neumann models and Owens-Wendt-Rabel-Kaelble (OWRK) models to calculate the surface energy, and the surface energy is between 28~31 mN/m and the Young's contact angle is around 90°. Based on the Cassie-Baxter model, we develop theoretical models of venation and foliage for predicting contact angles. The results show that the surface of the tobacco leaves can transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by modifying the size of the surface microstructure. Also we develop a method that use SEM and ImageJ to predict contact angle on leaves by analyzing solid-liquid contact area. The results indicate that the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental results is within 5%. These findings may provide a better understanding of the wettability in natural plants and may pave a new way of realizing surface fabrications with specific infiltrating properties in industries.

    Keywords: Contact angle, Wettability, Surface microstructure, roughness, simulation

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tie, Shen, Qiao, Zhao, Xu, Wang, Li and Qian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jinxin Tie, Ningbo Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
    Binfeng Shen, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
    Yuehui Qiao, Technology Center, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou, China
    Ronghua Xu, Ningbo Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
    Miao Wang, Ningbo Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
    Kecheng Li, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China
    Jie Qian, Ningbo Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Zhejiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China, Ningbo, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.