ABSTRACT
Microfibres have been put to various uses. Two major advantages of microfibres lie in their cleaning and filtration applications. The principle behind these two are discussed below.
9.1 Mechanism o f cleaning by microfibres The surface area of the microfibres is more than 10 times of a normal fibre. The microfibre’s small diameter translates into a much larger surface area than that found in conventional fibres. The small diameter of the fibres also provides a particularly powerful capillary action, which, in addition to pulling in liquid, also pulls in particulates and microbes contained within the liquid. Thus, the combination of the increased surface area and capillary action gives the ultra-microfibre cloth the ability to absorb vast amounts of liquid many times its own weight.
