Plasmon‐Driven Photochemical Reduction Reaction on Silver Nanostructures for Green Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface

Abstract

AbstractGreen fabrication of superhydrophobic surface by water‐based processing is still challenging, because introduction of the substances with hydrophilic moieties compromises its superhydrophobicity. Herein, a plasmon‐driven photochemical reduction reaction under ultraviolet light (UVA) irradiation is first discovered and is applied to deoxygenation of hydrophilic organic adsorbates on rough nano‐Ag coating for the formation of stable superhydrophobic surface. A nano‐Ag coating with strong localized surface plasmon resonance in the UVA region is prepared by a water‐based silver mirror reaction and results in a unique chemical reduction reaction on its surface. Consequently, the low residual hydrophilic functionalities and the formed cross‐linked structure of the adsorbate on Ag nanoparticles (NPs) enables the coating to exhibit stable superhydrophobicity against to both air and water. The superhydrophobic Ag NP‐coated sandpaper can also be used as a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to concentrate aqueous analytes for trace detection.