title: Production of a superhydrophilic surface by aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon.
abstract: The wettability of glass substrates textured via aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) was studied. It was found that a stable superhydrophilic surface could be produced by AIC of a-Si. This research suggests that densely distributed micron-sized silicon islands with nanoscale silicon spikes produced by the technique of AIC of a-Si are responsible for the stable superhydrophilicity. The study also shows that these superhydrophilic surfaces can be easily converted to superhydrophobic ones by means of coating with C(4)F(8).
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Physics Department, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA 17257, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kollias
authors.forename: Hengyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zou