Polymer, in combination with nanorods, provides a means of engineering surfaces. This presentation reports combined hydrophobicity and mechanical durability through the nanoscale engineering of surfaces in the form of nanorod-polymer composites. Specifically, the hydrophobicity derives from nanoscale features of mechanically hard ZnO nanorods and the mechanical durability derives from the composite structure of a hard ZnO nanorod core and soft polymer shell. Experimental characterization correlates the morphology of the nanoengineered surfaces with the combined hydrophobicity and mechanical durability, and reveals the responsible mechanisms. Such surfaces may find use in applications, such as airplane windshields, that benefit from hydrophobicity and require mechanical durability.

Combined hydrophobicity and mechanical durability through surface nanoengineering

249th National Meeting (2015)

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