To do this project we were attempting to create a sand that repelled water and stayed dry even when submerged in it. My thoughts at the beginning of this project left me kind of skeptical about how well it would work, but the concept was interesting. The goal here was to see how we could make the sand more hydrophobic.
For this project we were given a tray with sand and were told to spread it out evenly. After it was spread out evenly we coated it with a spray that was meant to make things repel water . This spray contained silica which is a very hydrophobic material. we sprayed this on the sand multiple times allowing a drying period in between each spray. We shook the sand around trying to get an even coat each time so the sand was well covered.
For this project we were given a tray with sand and were told to spread it out evenly. After it was spread out evenly we coated it with a spray that was meant to make things repel water . This spray contained silica which is a very hydrophobic material. we sprayed this on the sand multiple times allowing a drying period in between each spray. We shook the sand around trying to get an even coat each time so the sand was well covered.
After spraying the sand multiple times and allowing it to dry in between each spray we felt that it was evenly coated and ready to test. We also allowed it to dry outside for a short period just to make sure.
To test the "magic sand" we filled a small cup with water and got a spoonful of the magic sand, we submerged the sand into the water and pulled it out and most of it seemed to be completely dry and repellent of water. There were however some places where you could see the sand begin to become wet and that was probably where the sand wasnt coated well.
I think the experiment turned out decently but not as well as we wished because the sand was not completely hydrophobic like we expected it to be. It did however work to some extent.
The way this sand works is by coating it with silica an element that is naturally hydrophobic and water repellent. Without the coating of silica the sand would be hydrophilic , meaning it attracts and absorbs water.
I don't think our results were desirable. I believe this is because we sort of rushed the project and needed more of the silica spray. I believe I did well on this project and contributed equally to make the final product.
I worked with Alexander popov and Franky Diaz, we worked well and efficiently and tried our best to make this project work by adding a little more spray than others.
If I could do this project again I would maybe try using less sand and more spray just to make sure it all gets coated well. I would also allow more drying time. I see myself working with my group again because we always get through our projects easily. I do not see any way to continue this project and would not want too.
A take away from this project is that I learned about hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties.
To test the "magic sand" we filled a small cup with water and got a spoonful of the magic sand, we submerged the sand into the water and pulled it out and most of it seemed to be completely dry and repellent of water. There were however some places where you could see the sand begin to become wet and that was probably where the sand wasnt coated well.
I think the experiment turned out decently but not as well as we wished because the sand was not completely hydrophobic like we expected it to be. It did however work to some extent.
The way this sand works is by coating it with silica an element that is naturally hydrophobic and water repellent. Without the coating of silica the sand would be hydrophilic , meaning it attracts and absorbs water.
I don't think our results were desirable. I believe this is because we sort of rushed the project and needed more of the silica spray. I believe I did well on this project and contributed equally to make the final product.
I worked with Alexander popov and Franky Diaz, we worked well and efficiently and tried our best to make this project work by adding a little more spray than others.
If I could do this project again I would maybe try using less sand and more spray just to make sure it all gets coated well. I would also allow more drying time. I see myself working with my group again because we always get through our projects easily. I do not see any way to continue this project and would not want too.
A take away from this project is that I learned about hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties.