Microwave‐Assisted Fabrication of Superamphiphobic Surfaces on Aluminum Substrates

Abstract

The field of superamphiphobic surface fabrication has evolved rapidly in the last decade; however, research on important issues such as sustainability and green chemistry procedures is still scarce. Herein, a simple method of microwave irradiation (MW) to minimize energy consumption during the preparation of superamphiphobic aluminum (Al) surfaces is reported. Al substrates are first etched in diluted HCl solutions to generate a microstructure and then irradiated in a commercial microwave unit for several time intervals, temperatures, and pressures. The surfaces are then coated with different compounds, and the wettability is tested with high and very‐low surface tension liquids. Optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy images show that the density of hierarchical micro‐nanostructures increases with MW time, temperature, and pressure. At 170 °C and 7.9 bar, the surfaces present a high density of structures and re‐entrant topographies. The obtained coatings display excellent repellence to liquids with surface tensions as low as 27.5 mN m−1. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy data show the importance of efficient surface functionalization for the production of superamphiphobicity in Al substrates. The results show that MW irradiation of Al substrates can be a green and efficient method for fabricating superamphiphobic surfaces.