Fabrication of elastic conductive superhydrophobic composite material
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URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2019-10-22
Department
Major/Subject
Functional material
Mcode
CHEM3025
Degree programme
Master's Programme in Chemical, Biochemical and Materials Engineering
Language
en
Pages
68
Series
Abstract
Superhydrophobic surfaces with contact angles >150° have been made by several methods, most of which rely on modification of surface geometry and surface chemistry. However, a number of fabrication processes are slow, complex, and costly. This thesis presents a simple fabrication method to create a PDMS/Cu material which displays robust superhydrophobicity. The method is based on replicating hierarchical micro/nanoscale structures from etched aluminum into copper by electroless plating, followed by PDMS casting and aluminum sacrifice. The resulting surface is multifunctional; it is superhydrophobic, elastic, conductive, and wear resistant. The elasticity of the material was evaluated by a stretching test which has no major effect on morphologies of PDMS/Cu surface or its superhydrophobicity. Furthermore, the abrasion test showed that the final material is wear-resistance due to the hierarchical topography and the lack of a separate thin film hydrophobic coating. The underwater stability of plastron experiments indicated that the surface preserved its superhydrophobicity after three weeks of immersion with no significant effect on the morphologies, contact angles, and contact angle hysteresis.Description
Supervisor
Franssila, SamiThesis advisor
Hoshian, SashaJokinen, Ville
Keywords
electroless plating, hierarchical micro/nanostructure, PDMS, stretching and abrasion testing.