Lee S.M., Kwon T.H.
Pohang University Science and Technology, KR
Keywords: contact angle, polymer, sliding angle, superhydrophobic
The present work suggests a mass-producible and large scale fabrication method of superhydrophobic polymeric surfaces by means of material processing equipments which can maximize productivity and cost effectiveness. We fabricated two types of polymeric lotus leaf replicas using the nickel mould, i.e. R1 from intrinsically hydrophobic PDMS by means of casting (PC) and R2 from intrinsically hydrophilic UV-curable photopolymer by means of UV-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL). In the case of R1 from PC, although the nano-scaled structures were not well reproduced, the contact angle (CA) was remarkably high and the sliding angle (SA) was also close to the original lotus leaf, resulting in superhydrophobic surface. In contrast to R1, in the case of R2 from UV-NIL, the nano-scaled structures as well as micro-scaled structures also relatively well reproduced and the CA was increased noticeably in comparison to flat photopolymer, by around 99°. However, unexpectedly, the SA of R2 was much higher than R1. This work provides useful tips of polymeric material selection, for the industrial mass production of superhydrophobic polymer surface.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Technical Proceedings of the 2007 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 1
Published: May 20, 2007
Pages: 352 - 355
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications
ISBN: 1-4200-6182-8