Abstract
Cotton has been shown to hold up to 80% of its initial weight in water due to strong capillary forces after washing. According to the LaPlace equation for capillary rise, the rise is proportional to the surface tension of the air-liquid interface. The use of a tailored rinse additive has the potential to alter the surface tension of solutions significantly, thus leading to a lower capillary rise. This lower rise can be related to the residual water content in fabrics. The reduction of surface tension lowers the force required to displace liquid inside the capillaries formed by fabric fibers. If the amount of residual water in fabrics can be significantly lowered, the drying time of the fabrics would be decreased as well. We have shown that by reducing the surface tension of solutions, the residual moisture content of fabrics also decreases.
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- DOE:
-
U.S. Department of Energy
- RMC:
-
residual moisture content
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Carter, D.L., Shah, D.O. The role of surface tension on the residual water content of fabrics. J Surfact Deterg 8, 91–94 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-005-0335-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-005-0335-5