New Approaches to Increasing the Superhydrophobicity of Coatings Based on ZnO and TiO2

Abstract

The work presented is devoted to new approaches to increasing the superhydrophobic properties of coatings based on zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). There is an innovation in the use of inorganic coatings with a non-polar structure, high melting point, and good adhesion to ZnO, in contrast to the traditionally used polymer coatings with low performance characteristics. The maximum superhydrophobicity of the ZnO surface (contact angle of 173°) is achieved after coating with a layer of hematite (Fe2O3). The reason for the abnormally high hydrophobicity is a combination of factors: minimization of the area of contact with water (Cassie state) and the specific microstructure of a coating with a layer of non-polar Fe2O3. It was shown that the coating of ZnO structures with bimodal roughness with a gold (Au) layer that is 60-nm thick leads to an increase in the wetting contact angle from 145° to 168°. For clean surfaces of Au and hematite Fe2O3 films, the contact angle wets at no more than 70°. In the case of titanium oxide coatings, what is new lies in the method of controlled synthesis of a coating with a given crystal structure and a level of doping with nitrogen using plasma technologies. It has been shown that the use of nitrogen plasma in an open atmosphere with different compositions (molecular, atomic) makes it possible to obtain both a hydrophilic (contact angle of 73°) and a highly hydrophobic surface (contact angle of 150°).