Superhydrophobic Coatings Based on Boron Nitride Nanotubes:The Mechanism of Superhydrophobicity and Self-Regeneration of Highly Hydrophobic Properties

摘要

The mechanism of superhydrophobicity is discussed for coatings based on boron nitride nano tubes, i.e., on a material with high surface energy. It is shown that the thermodynamic stability of the superhydrophobic state is related to a surface roughness determined by nanotube packing and a decrease in surface energy due to the adsorption of hydrocarbon contaminants. The phenomenon of self-regeneration of highly hydrophobic properties is observed after the removal of organic impurities from the surface using different methods. The possibility for the cyclic switching of wettability from superhydrophobicity to hydrophilicity and back is demonstrated by successive coating treatment in plasma at a variation of its composition from atomic hydrogen plasma to methane plasma.