Until now, scalable fabrication and utilization of superamphiphobic surfaces based on sophisticated structures has remained challenging. Herein, we develop an applicable superamphiphobic surface with nano-Ni pyramid/ micro-Cu cone structures prepared by cost-effective electrochemical deposition. More importantly, excellent dynamic wettability is achieved, exhibiting as ultralow sliding angle (∼0°), multiple droplets rebounding (13 times), and a total rejection. The supportive cushions trapped within the dualscale micro/nanostructures is proved to be the key factor contributing to such high liquid repellency, whose existence is intuitively ascertained at both solid−air−liquid and water−solid−oil systems in this work. In addition, the enduring reliability of the wetting performance under various harsh conditions further endows the surface with broader application prospects.
Materials with different wettability features have attracted intensive
attention due to their outstanding performances and the broad application
prospects. In this work, we report an applicable and economical surface
thermal oxidation method for fabricating copper oxide nanotip arrays
with tunable wettability: superhydrophobicity of Cu2O nanotip
array (Cu2O NA) and superhydrophilicity of CuO nanotip
array (CuO NA). The superhydrophobic Cu2O NA surface presented
a high water contact angle (WCA) of 161.1° and ultralow water
sliding angle nearly 0°, which is an applicable property for
droplet transportation in microfluidic devices. Meanwhile, the CuO
NA surface exhibited a near 0° WCA as well as ultrashort wetting
time for water, which indicates that the CuO NA is a promising material
for oil/water separation. The dramatically transformed wettability
of the two surfaces is contributed by the synergetic effect of the
special convex hierarchical micro–nano structure and the nature
of surface materials. The superior water affinity of CuO is attributed
by the hydrolysis process, which was demonstrated by the density functional
theory simulation. In addition, The Cu2O NA presented outstanding
chemical and mechanical enduring reliability under harsh environments.
The cost-effective fabricating process, easily controlled wettability,
and special wetting performance make the Cu oxide nanotip arrays promising
materials for microfluid devices and oil/water separation.
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