Durability of superhydrophobic coatings produced via radio frequency plasma with a tetramethylsilane precursor
Open Access
Author:
Stauffer, Robert Joseph
Area of Honors:
Chemical Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Seong Han Kim, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Michael John Janik, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Chemical Engineering Surface science superhydrophobic contact angle
Abstract:
Superhydrophobic coatings are of interest due to their superior non-wetting and self-cleaning properties. These properties are advantageous for applications in piping, automobile windshields, solar cells, and biomedical devices. A superhydrophobic coating was generated via radio frequency plasma deposition with a tetramethylsilane precursor. The proposed mechanism provides advantages over previous methods because it is a simple one-step process that operates under atmospheric conditions and can be utilized on a variety of substrates. The proposed applications of the coating require resiliency under solvent, ultraviolet light, thermal, and mechanical wear exposure. Superhydrophobic coatings were produced with a water contact angle between 150° and 160° and a contact angle hysteresis of 6.9° ± 5.3°. The coatings were found to be durable when exposed to water, soap solution, and oil for up to 45 hours. Ultraviolet light degraded some samples but not others, implying other factors may be causing the degradation. The coatings were thermally stable up to 400°C for one hour. Mechanically, the coatings were found to not be durable. They could easily rub off as shown by tribology tests but baking samples seemed to slightly increase the amount of durability. The series of experiments allowed a more thorough characterization of the durability of superhydrophobic coatings produced via tetramethylsilane plasma.
