Rapid Formation of Transparent Superhydrophobic Film on Glasses by He/CH₄/C₄F₈Plasma Deposition at Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract

A transparent superhydrophobic surface on glass is prepared by a rapid single‐step method using a He, CH4, C4F8 mixture plasma at atmospheric pressure. Water droplet contact angles and surface properties are investigated to analyze both chemical and physical characteristics of the plasma treated surfaces. As the C4F8 gas flow rate is increased in the He/CH4 plasma, both advancing, and receding water contact angles are increased, while UV‐visible transmittance is degraded. By optimizing the gas mixture ratio, we find rapid deposition conditions for superhydrophobic formation without losing the visible to near‐infrared transparency of the glass. The chemical and physical mechanism responsible for hydrophobicity is also discussed through the investigation of chemical composition and surface morphology.

Rapid and selective surface functionalization of the membrane for high efficiency oil-water separation via an atmospheric pressure plasma process

“…It was conducted in order to form an oil-water separating membrane using a cylindrical atmospheric pressure plasma source (Supplementary Figure S1 ). As reported in a previous study, the atmospheric pressure plasma method easily enables the formation of superhydrophilic, hydrophobic or superhydrophobic surfaces 21 – 24 . Based on these findings, via the plasma parameters control in Table 1 , selective water/oil wettability properties were conferred to metal mesh membranes (Fig.…”

“…Indeed, amphiphobic surfaces that possess both water and oil repellency properties, i.e. case 3, may be used in applications such as anti-bio fouling surfaces, stain-free material, spill-resistant protective wear, self-cleaning surfaces, and drag reduction material 10 , 11 , 21 , 28 , 29 . Therefore, in order to develop artificial amphiphobic surfaces currently, efficient but complex techniques have been extensively studied; in this study, such surfaces (Fig.…”

“…This limitation is the reason the emerging atmospheric pressure plasma technology is the method of choice for surface functionalization. Atmospheric pressure plasma processes are low cost, allow the treatment of heat-sensitive materials due to their low temperature plasma, can be performed in open-air, offer the possibility to treat large areas, and enable the fast modification of surfaces with readily tunable chemistry and morphology 21 – 24 .…”

Improvement of the self-cleaning capabilities and transparency of cover glasses for solar cell applications by modification with atmospheric pressure plasma

“…The power electrode was surrounded by a dielectric tube to prevent arcing and to sustain stable discharge. 9 The cover glasses (Marienfeld, 76 mm × 26 mm × 1 mm thickness) were moved left and right on a motorized plate to ensure uniform modification. Helium was flowed at a fixed rate of 4 liters per minute (lpm); otherwise, the flow rates of CH 4 and C 4 F 8 gas were independently controlled by mass flow controller (MFC, AtoVac AFC500).…”

One-step preparation of transparent superhydrophobic coatings using atmospheric arc discharge

“…24 Han and Moon described deposition on an optically transparent superhydrophobic glass surface with a mixture of He, CH 4 , and C 4 F 8 plasma at atmospheric pressure. 25 However, most of those plasma treatments cannot achieve super-hydrophobicity without additional surface modifications by expensive fluorinated hydrocarbons with high toxicity. Furthermore, most plasma sources except the atmospheric pressure plasma require special vacuum systems ultimately limiting their flexible fabrication.…”