Superhydrophobic wind turbine blade surfaces obtained by a simple deposition of silica nanoparticles embedded in epoxy

Samples of wind turbine blade surface have been covered with a superhydrophobic coating made of silica nanoparticles embedded in commercial epoxy paint. The superhydrophobic surfaces have a water contact angle around 152°, a hysteresis less than 2° and a water drop sliding angle around 0.5°. These surfaces are water repellent so that water drops cannot remain motionless on the surface. Examination of coated and uncoated surfaces with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, together with measurements of water contact angles, indicates that the air trapped in the cavity enhances the water repellency similarly to the lotus leaf effect. Moreover, this new coating is stable under UVC irradiation and water pouring. The production of this nanoscale coating film being simple and low cost, it can be considered as a suitable candidate for water protection of different outdoor structures.     

Spectral selectivity of nickel and chromium rough surfaces

The reflectance of metal surfaces with sinusoidal roughness of different periods and depths has been investigated experimentally. The results show clearly that the surface structure can be used to modify the optical properties of metal surfaces at different wavelengths. With a proper choice of groove depth to period ratio, nickel or chromium coatings on gratings have low reflectance in the short wavelength region, but achieve high reflectance in the infrared region. A solar absorptance as high as 93% has been obtained from such a surface. The surfaces are thought to be representative for randomly rough surfaces provided proper correlation length and height variation are chosen. Further, as the absorber is made of a single metal surface, it could be highly temperature resistant.     

RF-PACVD of water repellent and protective HMDSO coatings on bell metal surfaces: Correlation between discharge parameters and film properties

Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) films have been deposited on bell metal using radiofrequency plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (RF-PACVD) technique. The protective performances of the HMDSO films and their water repellency have been investigated as a function of DC self-bias voltage on the substrates during deposition. Plasma potential measurements during film deposition process are carried out by self-compensated emissive probe. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) analyses of the plasma during deposition reveal no significant change in the plasma composition within the DC self-bias voltage range of −40 V to −160 V that is used. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies are carried out for film chemistry analysis and indicate that the impinging ion energy on the substrates influences the physio-chemical properties of the HMDSO films. At critical ion energy of 113 qV (corresponding to DC self-bias voltage of −100 V), the deposited HMDSO film exhibits least defective Si-O-Si chemical structure and highest inorganic character and this contributes to its best corrosion resistance behavior. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films are found to be bias dependent and are 1.27 GPa and 5.36 GPa for films deposited at −100 V. The critical load for delamination is also bias dependent and is 11 mN for this film. The water repellency of the HMDSO films is observed to be dependent on the variation in surface roughness. The results of the investigations suggest that HMDSO films deposited by RF-PACVD can be used as protective coatings on bell metal surfaces.     

Superhydrophobic hierarchical surfaces fabricated by anodizing of oblique angle deposited Al-Nb alloy columnar films

A combined process of oblique angle magnetron sputtering and anodizing has been developed to tailor superhydrophobic surfaces with hierarchical morphology. Isolated submicron columns of single-phase Al-Nb alloys are deposited by magnetron sputtering at several oblique deposition angles on a scalloped substrate surface, with the gaps between columns increasing with an increase in the deposition angle from 70° to 110°. Then, the columnar films have been anodized in hot phosphate-glycerol electrolyte to form a nanoporous anodic oxide layer on each column. Such surfaces with submicron-/nano-porous structure have been coated with a fluoroalkyl phosphate layer to reduce the surface energy. The porous surface before coating is superhydrophilic with a contact angle for water is less than 10°, while after coating the contact angles are larger than 150°, being superhydrophobic. The beneficial effect of dual-scale porosity to enhance the water repellency is found from the comparison of the contact angles of the submicron columnar films with and without nanoporous oxide layers. The larger submicron gaps between columns are also preferable to increase the water repellency.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic polyurethane/organoclay nano-structured composites from cyclomethicone-in-water emulsions

Nano-structured polyurethane/organoclay composite films were fabricated by dispersing moisture-curable polyurethanes and fatty amine/amino-silane surface modified montmorillonite clay (organoclay) in cyclomethicone-in-water emulsions. Cyclomethicone Pickering emulsions were made by emulsifying decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅), dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D₆) and aminofunctional siloxane polymers with water using montmorillonite particles as emulsion stabilizers. Polyurethane and organoclay dispersed emulsions were spray coated on aluminum surfaces. Upon thermosetting, water repellent self-cleaning coatings were obtained with measured static water contact angles exceeding 155° and low contact angle hysteresis (<8°). Electron microscopy images of the coating surfaces revealed formation of self-similar hierarchical micro- and nano-scale surface structures. The surface morphology and the coating adhesion strength to aluminum substrates were found to be sensitive to the relative amounts of dispersed polyurethane and organoclay in the emulsions. The degree of superhydrophobicity was analyzed using static water contact angles as well as contact angle hysteresis measurements. Due to biocompatibility of cyclomethicones and polyurethane, developed coatings can be considered for specific bio-medical applications.     

表面张力对疏水微结构表面减阻的影响

通过构造具有棋盘状微结构的疏水表面,考虑表面张力的影响,利用定常与非定常结合的数值模拟方法,研究了疏水表面在湍流状态下的减阻特性以及微结构内气体封存的效果,其中Re=3000—30000.在低雷诺数下,疏水表面微结构内气体封存状态良好,减阻率最高约为30%;随着雷诺数的增大,压差阻力增大,减阻率有下降趋势.当来流速度过大时,水会大量进入微结构,疏水表面的减阻率变化剧烈,且已经不再减阻.结果表明,表面张力削弱了壁面切应力的影响,使得低雷诺数下微结构内气体能够有效封存,进而减小壁面阻力.     

A comparative study of the self-propelled jumping capabilities of coalesced droplets on RTV surfaces and superhydrophobic surfaces

Understanding the mechanism of coalescence-induced self-propelled jumping behavior provides distinct insights in designing and optimizing functional coatings with self-cleaning and anti-icing properties.However,to date self-propelled jumping phenomenon has only been observed and studied on superhydrophobic surfaces,other than those hydrophobic surfaces with weaker but fairish water-repellency,for instance,vulcanized silicon rubber(RTV) coatings.In this work,from the perspective of thermodynamic-based energy balance aspect,the reason that self-propelled jumping phenomenon does not happen on RTV coatings is studied.The apparent contact angles of droplets on RTV coatings can be less than the theoretical critical values therefore cannot promise energy surplus for the coalesced droplets onside.Besides,on RTV and superhydrophobic surfaces,the droplet-size dependent variation characteristics of the energy leftover from the coalescence process are opposite.For the droplets coalescing on RTV coatings,the magnitudes of energy dissipations are more sensitive to the increase in droplet size,compared to that of released surface energy.While for superhydrophobic coatings,the energy generated during the coalescence process can be more sensitive than the dissipations to the change in droplet size.     

The application of power ultrasound to the surface cleaning of silica and heavy mineral sands

Power ultrasound may be used in the processing of minerals to clean their surfaces of oxidation products and fine coatings, mainly through the large, but very localised, forces produced by cavitation. Results of the application of power ultrasound to remove iron-rich coatings from the surfaces of silica sand used in glass making and to improve the electrostatic separation of mineral sand concentrates through lowering the resistivity of the conducting minerals (ilmenite and rutile) are presented. Parameters affecting ultrasonic cleaning, such as input power and levels of reagent addition, are discussed. In particular, we present data showing the relationship between power input and the particle size of surface coatings removed. This can be explained by the Derjaguin approximation for the energy of interaction between a sphere and a flat surface.     

Measuring thickness of semi-fluid layers using force spectroscopy

Soft coatings are used on many industrial surfaces. In particular, silicone coatings are used where low-friction or low-adhesion properties are desired. Due to their softness, it has proven to be very challenging to measure the thickness of such coatings, especially on rough surfaces. In this paper we present a scheme in which the amplitude reduction of a resonant vibrating cantilever can be used to detect the surface of a partially hardened silicone coating. The dc deflection of the same cantilever can be used to detect the surface of an underlying steel surface. The distance between these two points gives the thickness of the silicone layer when corrected for the cantilever-vibration amplitude and the coating transferred to the atomic force microscope tip. Using this scheme we have successfully measured the thickness of silicone coatings in the range of 20 nm to 3 7m.     

Depth Profiling of Polymer Surfaces with FT-IR Spectroscopy

INTRODUCTION

The composition and structure at the surface of polymeric materials can vary with depth as a result of surface treatments, surface-specific processing variables, or thermodynamic forces active at the surface. For example, low molecular weight oils are applied to the surface of polymers for lubrication purposes. The distribution or depth gradient of the oil in the polymer depends on a variety of interacting factors, such as diffusion, solubility, temperature, chemical or physical interaction, porosity, etc. In the coatings and lamination industries, gradients can occur as a result of the direct deposition of Material A on the surface of Material B. When A does not mix with B, as is often desirable, the integrity of the surface is of importance. The thickness of the layer(s) and the sharpness of the interface(s) can be critical to the intended application of the material. Polymer surfaces are often treated to obtain specific surface properties. An example of this is in the corona poling of such surfaces to improve the printability in commercial applications. Material properties are based on the depth to which the surface treatment propagates, the chemistry of the reactions, and the resulting products.     

Surface tension of liquid Al-Cu and wetting at the Cu/Sapphire solid-liquid interface

For the study of the interaction of a liquid alloy with differently oriented single crystalline sapphire surfaces precise surface tension data of the liquid are fundamental. We measured the surface tension of liquid Al-Cu contactlessly on electromagnetically levitated samples using the oscillating drop technique. Data were obtained for samples covering the entire range of composition and in a broad temperature range. The surface tensions can be described as linear functions of temperature with negative slopes. Moreover, they decrease monotonically with an increase of aluminium concentration. The observed behaviour with respect to both temperature and concentration is in agreement with a thermodynamic model calculation using the regular solution approximation. Surface tensions were used to calculate interfacial energies from the contact angles of liquid Cu droplets, deposited on the C(0001), A(11-20), R(1-102) surfaces of an α-Al₂O₃ substrate. The contact angles were measured by means of the sessile drop method at 1380?K. In the Cu/α-Al₂O₃ system, no anisotropy is evident neither for the contact angles nor for the interfacial energies of different surfaces. The work of adhesion of this system is isotropic, too.     

Design and fabrication of ultra broadband infrared antireflection hard coatings on ZnSe in the range from 2 to 16 μm

In conventional infrared multilayer antireflection coatings (MLAR) materials of fluoride and chalcogenide types are used, which are disadvantaged due to their low mechanical strength and poor stability against humidity and environmental impacts. In this paper, we show that high performance ultra broadband and hard infrared multilayer antireflection coatings on ZnSe substrates in the wavelength range from 2 to 16 μm can be designed and fabricated. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) hard coating as a mechanical and environmental protection layer was proposed and deposited onto MLAR surfaces (MLAR + DLC) using a pulsed vacuum arc ion deposition technique. The thickness of the high optical quality DLC can be optimized in the design simulation to achieve a practically best antireflection and surface protection performance. We show that a germanium thin film (15 nm) between the MLAR and DLC surfaces can be used as a transition layer for optical and material match. The average transmission of the fabricated MLAR+DLC surfaces was 93.1% in the wavelength range between 2 and 16 μm. The peak transmission was about 97.6%, close to the simulated values. The durability and stability against mechanical impacts and environmental tests was improved significantly compared with the conventional infrared windows.     

Anti-icing performance of superhydrophobic surfaces

This article studies the anti-ice performance of several micro/nano-rough hydrophobic coatings with different surface chemistry and topography. The coatings were prepared by spin-coating or dip coating and used organosilane, fluoropolymer or silicone rubber as a top layer. Artificially created glaze ice, similar to the naturally accreted one, was deposited on the nanostructured surfaces by spraying supercooled water microdroplets (average size ∼80 μm) in a wind tunnel at subzero temperature (−10 °C). The ice adhesion strength was evaluated by spinning the samples in a centrifuge at constantly increasing speed until ice delamination occurred. The results show that the anti-icing properties of the tested materials deteriorate, as their surface asperities seem to be gradually broken during icing/de-icing cycles. Therefore, the durability of anti-icing properties appears to be an important point for further research. It is also shown that the anti-icing efficiency of the tested superhydrophobic surfaces is significantly lower in a humid atmosphere, as water condensation both on top and between surface asperities takes place, leading to high values of ice adhesion strength. This implies that superhydrophobic surfaces may not always be ice-phobic in the presence of humidity, which can limit their wide use as anti-icing materials.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic nanostructured surface on aluminum alloy

A superhydrophobic surface was prepared by consecutive immersion in boiling water and sputtering of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon®) on the surface of an aluminum alloy substrate. Immersion in boiling water was used to create a micro-nanostructure on the alloy substrate. Then, the rough surface was coated with RF-sputtered Teflon film. The immersion time in boiling water plays an important role in surface morphology and water repellency of the deposited Teflon coating. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a “flower-like” structure in first few minutes of immersion. And as the immersion time lengthened, a “cornflake” structure appeared. FTIR analyses of Teflon-like coating deposited on water treated aluminum alloy surfaces showed fluorinated groups, which effectively reduce surface energy. The Teflon-like coating deposited on a rough surface achieved with five-minute immersion in boiling water provided a high static contact angle (～164°) and low contact angle hysteresis (～4°).     

Wettability of ZnO: A comparison of reactively sputtered; thermally oxidized and vacuum annealed coatings

We have studied the wettability of sputter deposited ZnO, thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO and vacuum annealed ZnO coatings. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed the formation of hexagonal-wurtzite structure of ZnO, which was further confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy data. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data indicated that the sputter deposited ZnO coatings were more stoichiometric than thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO and vacuum annealed ZnO coatings. The wettability measurements indicated that water contact angles of 158.5° and 155.2° with sliding angles of 2° and 4° were achieved for thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO and vacuum annealed ZnO coatings, respectively. The superhydrophobicity observed in thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO and vacuum annealed coatings is attributed to the nanorod cluster like morphology along with the presence of high fraction of micron scale air pockets. The water droplet on such surfaces is mostly in contact with air pockets rather than solid surface, leading to high contact angle. Whereas, the sputter deposited ZnO coatings exhibited a maximum water contact angle of 110.3°. This is because the sputter deposited ZnO coatings exhibited a densely packed nanograin-like microstructure without any air pockets. The work of adhesion of water was very low for thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO (5.06 mJ/m²) and vacuum annealed ZnO coatings (6.71 mJ/m²) when compared to reactively sputtered ZnO coatings (90.41 mJ/m²). The apparent surface free energy (SFE) for these coatings was calculated using Neumann method and the SFE values for sputter deposited ZnO, thermally oxidized Zn-ZnO and vacuum annealed ZnO coatings were 32.95, 23.21 and 18.78 mJ/m², respectively.     

Facile approach in fabricating superhydrophobic coatings from silica-based nanocomposite

This study develops a one-step technique to synthesize various super water-repellent coatings with addition of modified silica nanoparticles. Surface topography observation showed that stacking of spherical silica nanoparticles formed primary surface roughness. The wettability of the products was investigated. It was found that the as-prepared surface possesses superhydrophobic properties not only for pure water but also for corrosive water under both acidic and basic conditions. The silica-based nanocomposite coatings can be fabricated on glass substrates and other functional engineering material surfaces, such as copper, iron, aluminum alloy, to form self-cleaning coatings.     

Interaction of silicon dangling bonds with insulating surfaces

We use first principles density functional theory calculations to study the interaction of a model dangling bond silicon tip with the surfaces of CaF2, Al2O3, TiO2, and MgO. In each case the strongest interaction is with the highest anions in the surface. We show that this is due to the onset of chemical bonding with the surface anions, which can be controlled by an electric field across the system. Combining our results and previous studies on semiconductor surfaces suggests that using dangling bond Si tips can provide immediate identification of surface species in atomically resolved noncontact atomic force microscopy and facilitate selective measurements of short-range interactions with surface sites.     

A Review on Effects of Lubricant Formulations on Tribological Performance and Boundary Lubrication Mechanisms of Non-Doped DLC/DLC Contacts

Tribological efficiency of industrial applications involving boundary lubrication regime can be improved to an appreciable extent by the deposition of hard coatings on interacting surfaces. Among such coatings, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are considered to be one of the most suitable ones for the said role. DLC coatings possess a unique combination of physical, chemical, and material properties due to which they can help in minimizing friction-induced energy and material losses even under starved lubrication conditions. Since commercial lubricants are optimized for steel surfaces, therefore, a lot of experimental investigations were carried out to analyze the tribological compatibility of these lubricants with various DLC coatings. However, there is still a lack of understanding about how DLC coatings interact with conventional lubricant additives. Some researchers reported tribologically beneficial interactions between DLC coatings and formulated lubricants while others observed no such behavior. To address these inconsistencies, there is a need to rearrange the published data in a more apprehensible and organized manner with a special emphasis on the mechanisms responsible for a particular tribological behavior. In this way, it can be determined whether synergistic or antagonistic correlation exists between a particular DLC-lubricant combination and research on DLC coatings can be continued in a logical way. In this article, most widely investigated non-doped DLC coatings (ta-C, a-C:H, a-C, and ta-C:H) are tribologically analyzed. Average values of friction and wear coefficients are calculated for various DLC-lubricant combinations using already published data and compared to quantify the effectiveness of a particular lubricant additive in enhancing tribological characteristics of symmetrical non-doped DLC contacts. Moreover, tribological performance parameters of non-doped DLC coatings are compared with those of doped-DLC coatings to understand differences in their tribological behavior in combination with additives.     

Alkylsilane self-assembled monolayers: modeling their wetting characteristics

The analysis of wetting behavior of self-assembled monolayers of alkylsilanes is presented. A simple model accounting for various surface fractions of CH₃ and CH₂ groups (self-assembly order/disorder) is used. The effect of inclusion of air in the structure of rough silanized surfaces is also considered. The importance of reduced solid–water contact area and assembly order of organic monomers is demonstrated for achieving both high contact angle and low sliding angle. As coatings with low surface energy, these materials may be of potential use for ice-repellent purposes.     

Mössbauer spectroscopy of laser surfaces treated metallic materials

Laser treated surfaces of the Fe₈₃Si₁₇ alloy and of the coatings prepared on low-carbon steel by laser surface alloying with Ni and Al were investigated by means of Mossbauer spectroscopy. The short range order in the surface layer after irradiation by neodymium laser pulses was found to be similar to that before irradiation. The high quenching rate of a single melt pool after single pulse action seems to be masked by annealing due to the heat produced by successive pulses covering the whole surface. A detailed phase analysis of the coatings prepared by laser surface alloying was done. Seven different phases were found in dependence on chemical composition of alloy coatings and on traverse speed, i.e. the speed of relative motion of sample and the continuous CO₂-laser beam.