Effect of modification of zinc oxide nanostructures on contact angle

Abstract

The hydrophobic coatings are one of the most used processes to prevent the deterioration of materials and increase its lifetime, since they have non-stick, low friction, anti-wetting, high and low temperature resistance, chemical and dielectric properties, etc. This work presents the chemical production of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures that were deposited on glass substrates by two methods: spin-coating and dip-coating. The doped substrates were modified by temperature and exposure to ultraviolet light (UV). The contact angle of the surface was measured after making some modification, revealing an initial change compared to the uncoated substrate. Later, the angles were varied, comparing between the two deposition methods. The higher contact angle was presented by spin-coating sample, after rising its temperature and a first exposure to UV light; an increase of 30% was observed in comparison to the uncoated substrate; In contrast, the smallest angle was obtained in dip-coating sample after raising its temperature, reducing around 55% of its size compared to the uncoated substrate.