Experimental Analysis of Detergency Phenomena and Investigation of a Next-generation Detergency System.

The detergency of products, mainly textiles, was evaluated using various experimental systems and discussed from the viewpoint of interfacial phenomena. The detergency phenomena observed for geometrically simple model systems were explained in terms of the total potential energy of interaction between the soil and the substrate, which was calculated as the sum of the electrical double layer, Lifshitzvan der Waals, and acid-base interactions using electrokinetic potentials and surface free energy components. Cleaning experiments using artificially soiled fabrics were performed using electro-osmotic flow and ultrasound as mechanical actions for soil removal, and the results were compared with those obtained with mechanical actions commonly used in textile washing. Simultaneous hydrophilization of the substrate and soil by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet remarkably improved the detergency in aqueous solutions. The application of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet to anti-fouling textiles was also proposed.