title: Reversible UV-light-induced ultrahydrophobic-to-ultrahydrophilic transition in an alpha-Fe2O3 nanoflakes film.
abstract: We describe a simple and robust approach to fabricating an alpha-Fe2O3 switchable surface. The hydrophobicity of alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures was observed for the first time. A remarkable surface wettability transition can be easily achieved by ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The distinctive properties of surface defects are disclosed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The nanoscale adsorption and photocatalytic properties of Fe2+ defects account for the highly amphiphilic character of the surfaces. We believe that the experiment will further the molecular-scale understanding and manipulation of the wetting behavior on smart devices.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Junguang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zexiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Cheng Hon Alfred
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Huan
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu