Enhanced superhydrophobic robustness of black silicon employing nanojungle structures

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Access rights

openAccess
CC BY
publishedVersion

URL

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

7

Series

Nanoscale, Volume 17, issue 5, pp. 2871-2877

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces are essential in various industries such as textiles, aviation, electronics and biomedical devices due to their exceptional water-repellent properties. Black silicon (b-Si) would be an ideal candidate for some applications due to its nanoscale topography made with a convenient lithography-free step and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication process. However, its use is hindered by serious issues with mechanical robustness. This study presents ‘nanojungle b-Si,’ characterized by elongated and deep nanostructures and fabricated through photoresist micromasks associating with Bosch etching. These nanojungle structures exhibit enhanced robustness and sustain superhydrophobicity under abrasive conditions, outperforming traditional ‘nanograss b-Si.’ Optical analysis indicates that the nanojungle structures dissipate abrasive impact energy more effectively, preserving surface roughness and hydrophobicity. Notably, nanojungle b-Si maintains its superhydrophobicity even after impinging by 20 g of sand impacting from a height of 40 cm. This advancement in b-Si surfaces holds significant potential for enhancing future technological applications.

Description

| openaire: EC/HE/101061892/EU//N2PCON

Keywords

Other note

Citation

Meng, L, Awashra, M, Mirmohammadi, S M, Mousavi, S M, Vapaavuori, J, Jokinen, V & Franssila, S 2025, 'Enhanced superhydrophobic robustness of black silicon employing nanojungle structures', Nanoscale, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 2871-2877. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR04226C