title: Tuning the wettability of an aluminum surface via a chemically deposited fractal dendrite structure.
abstract: We have developed a straightforward method to tune the wettability of an aluminum substrate within a contact angle (CA) range from 2(°) to 170(°) by chemical deposition in CuCl2 solution and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) modification. The CA of the as-deposited surface decreases with deposition time due to the growth of fractal copper dendrites, which enhance the surface roughness significantly. After subsequent modification with FAS, a superhydrophobic surface with CA 170(°) and sliding angle less than 5(°) has been obtained. With the increase of CA, the maximum spreading of water droplets is reduced. A bouncing behavior is observed for droplets impinging on the superhydrophobic substrate, suggesting its potential application as a self-cleaning surface.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Space Applied Physics and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710129, Xi'an, China. dyzang@nwpu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Duyang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xingguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Kejun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Clegg