Biomimetically tunable hydrophobic/hydrophilic surfaces:Multiple tier roughness

摘要

The phenomenon of surface wettability has been a contested issue in phase change heat transfer applications. Its research area has previously broadened in scope from microscale into nanoscale structured surfaces with the aid of high-end techniques such as nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) and microelectromechanical system (MEMS). However, those techniques are both expensive and time-consuming in creating practical nanoscale-structures. In this study, we propose a streamlined technique to create tunable ultrahydrophobic/philic self-assembled copper oxide nanostructures with multiple tier roughness. Using a bottom-up process, a fast fabrication time can be achieved (relative to NEMS and MEMS) through our simple, cost-effective bulk fabrication technique. As demonstrated through the present experiments, we can control the surface wettability by introducing morphological adaptivity.