Applications of hydrophobic surfaces have a growing global market targeting automotive, health, microelectronics, and pharmaceutical industries. These hydrophobic properties are commonly achieved with perfluorinated compounds including polymers and silanes. The negative health and environmental concerns associated with these fluorinated treatments are driving the search for new alternatives with minimal effects on the environment. Formulations containing silanes, siloxanes, and inorganic particles are viable alternatives to fluorosilanes in hydrophobic applications. As Gelest, Inc. is one of the leaders in silane chemistry, the availability of new chemistries and application techniques makes novel hydrophobic surfaces an exciting new research area.Application of various non-fluorinated silanes and silicones in combination with inorganic particles will be presented along with the effect of application method on the resulting hydrophobicity. Characterization by static, advancing, and receding contact angles provide a direct correlation with the hydrophobic properties of these viable alternatives. While fluorinated static contact angles range from 108�-115�, non-fluorinated smooth surfaces without particles exhibit similar contact angles. Introduction of micro and nano-roughness by incorporating inorganic particles create surfaces with static contact angles leading into the super-hydrophobic region of 150�. AFM, SEM, and XPS shed light on the surface morphology and topography of the treated substrates.

Novel non-fluorinated super hydrophobic surfaces

247th National Meeting (2014)

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