Superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surfaces may arise due to interplay between nano/microstructures at the solid surface and the chemical properties of the topmost monolayer. In the present work, those relationships were investigated by Al substrate modifications via chemical functionalization with trimethoxypropylsilane dipping, and coating with a thin perfluorinated layer. The effect of the nano/micromorphology on the superhydrophobicity and hysteresis was studied using two main approaches: (i) chemical etching of Al substrates and chemical surface functionalization and (ii) anodic aluminum oxide template (nanoporous) generated on the etched Al substrates and functionalization as in approach i. The physical and chemical properties of the treated substrates were evaluated using water contact angle (WCA) and scanning electron microscopy and by chemical surface-sensitive techniques. The fabricated synthetic surface by approach i was superhydrophobic with a hysteresis of ∼17°. Samples prepared by approach ii showed a WCA of (165 ± 2)° with a very low hysteresis (<3°). A superhydrophobic nanostructure superimposed on a microstructure is the main cause of the self-cleaning properties obtained in the treated Al substrates.

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Textures that resemble typical fern or bracken plant species (dendrite structures) were fabricated for liquid repellency by dipping copper substrates in a single-step process in solutions containing AgNO3 or by a simple spray liquid application. Superhydrophobic surfaces were produced using a solution containing AgNO3 and trimethoxypropylsilane (TMPSi), and superomniphobic surfaces were produced by a two-step procedure, immersing the copper substrate in a AgNO3 solution and, after that, in a solution containing 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PFDTES). The simple functionalization processes can also be used when the superomniphobic surfaces were destroyed by mechanical stress. By immersion of the wrecked surfaces in the above solutions or by the spray method and soft heating, the copper substrates could be easily repaired, regenerating the surfaces' superrepellency to liquids. The micro- and nanoroughness structures generated on copper surfaces by the deposition of silver dendrites functionalized with TMPSi presented apparent contact angles greater than 150° with a contact angle hysteresis lower than 10° when water was used as the test liquid. To avoid total wettability with very low surface tension liquids, such as rapeseed oil and hexadecane, a thin perfluorinated coating of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), produced by physical vapor deposition, was used. A more efficient perfluorinated coating was obtained when PFDTES was used. The superomniphobic surfaces produced apparent contact angles above 150° with all of the tested liquids, including hexadecane, although the contact angle hysteresis with this liquid was above 10°. The coupling of dendritic structures with TMPSi/PTFE or directly by PFDTES coatings was responsible for the superrepellency of the as-prepared surfaces. These simple, fast, and reliable procedures allow the large area, and cost-effective scale fabrication of superrepellent surfaces on copper substrates for various industrial applications with the advantage of easy recovery of the surface repellency after damage.

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Dip-coated films, which are widely used in the coating industry, are usually measured by capacitive methods with micrometric precision. For the first time to our knowledge, we have applied an interferometric determination of the evolution of thickness in real time to nonvolatile Newtonian mineral oils with several viscosities and distinct dip withdrawing speeds. The evolution of film thickness during the process depends on time as t Ϫ1͞2 , in accordance with a simple model. Comparison with measured results with an uncertainty of Ϯ0.007 m͒ showed good agreement after the initial steps of the process had been completed.

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The chemical inertness of carbon nanotubes (CNT) requires some degree of "defect engineering" for controlled deposition of metal oxides through atomic layer deposition (ALD). The type, quantity, and distribution of such defects rules the deposition rate and defines the growth behavior. In this work, we employed ALD to grow titanium oxide (TiO2) on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT). The effects of nitrogen doping and oxygen plasma pretreatment of the CNT on the morphology and total amount of TiO2 were systematically studied using transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The induced chemical changes for each functionalization route were identified by X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies. The TiO2 mass fraction deposited with the same number of cycles for the pristine CNT, nitrogen-doped CNT, and plasma-treated CNT were 8, 47, and 80%, respectively. We demonstrate that TiO2 nucleation is dependent mainly on surface incorporation of heteroatoms and their distribution rather than structural defects that govern the growth behavior. Therefore, selecting the best way to functionalize CNT will allow us to tailor TiO2 distribution and hence fabricate complex heterostructures.