Superhydrophobic Carbon Nanotube Forests

Lau, Kenneth K. S.; Bico, José; Teo, Kenneth B. K.; Chhowalla, Manish; Amaratunga, G.A.J.; Milne, W. I.; McKinley, Gareth H.; Gleason, Karen K.

doi:10.1021/nl034704t

Cited by 1,509 publications

(1,188 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Pristine MWCNTs show a hydrophobic behavior because of their size and intrinsic disorder [20]. The contact angles before and after acid treatment are summarized in Table 1.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of two different carbon nanotube-based surfaces with respect to potassium ferricyanide electrochemistry

et al. 2012

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This paper describes the electrochemical investigation of two multi-walled carbon nanotube-based electrodes using potassium ferricyanide as a benchmark redox system. Carbon nanotubes were fabricated by chemical vapor deposition on silicon wafer with camphor and ferrocene as precursors. Vertically-aligned as well as islands of horizontally-randomly-oriented carbon nanotubes were obtained by varying the growth parameters. Cyclic voltammetry was the employed method for this electrochemical study. Vertical nanotubes showed a slightly higher kinetic. Regarding the sensing parameters we found a sensitivity for vertical nanotubes almost equal to the sensitivity obtained with horizontally/randomly oriented nanotubes (71.5 ± 0.3 μA/(mM cm 2 ) and 62.8± 0.3 μA/(mM cm 2 ), respectively). In addition, values of detection limit are of the same order of magnitude. Although tip contribution to electron emission has been shown to be greatly larger than the lateral contribution on single carbon nanotubes per unit area, the new findings reported in this paper demonstrate that the global effects of nanotube surface on potassium ferricyanide electrochemistry are comparable for these two types of nanostructured surfaces.

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“…Pristine MWCNTs show a hydrophobic behavior because of their size and intrinsic disorder [20]. The contact angles before and after acid treatment are summarized in Table 1.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of two different carbon nanotube-based surfaces with respect to potassium ferricyanide electrochemistry

et al. 2012

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“…Superhydrophobic surfaces have been created using the intrinsic nanoscale roughness of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube forest in conjunction with a hydrophobic PTFE coating. [84] Microwave plasma enhanced CVD using organosilicon compounds and Ar gas at low temperatures has also been shown to yield ultrawater-repellent films. [85] Nanostructured graphitelike carbon films can be prepared through a simple pyrolysis method and as-prepared films are superhydrophobic but not only for pure water but also corrosive liquids, such as acidic and basic solutions.…”

Section: Superhydrophobic Surfacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bio‐Inspired, Smart, Multiscale Interfacial Materials

2008

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In this review a strategy for the design of bioinspired, smart, multiscale interfacial (BSMI) materials is presented and put into context with recent progress in the field of BSMI materials spanning natural to artificial to reversibly stimuli‐sensitive interfaces. BSMI materials that respond to single/dual/multiple external stimuli, e.g., light, pH, electrical fields, and so on, can switch reversibly between two entirely opposite properties. This article utilizes hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the design strategy, which may also be extended to other properties, for example, conductor/insulator, p‐type/n‐type semiconductor, or ferromagnetism/anti‐ferromagnetism, for the design of other BSMI materials in the future.

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“…Illustration of how self-cleaning glass works, in three steps, from left to right: 1) activation of the coating by UV radiation and natural dirtying, 2) decomposition of the organic dirt, and 3) rain water washes away the loosened and degraded dirt. Source: Pilkington Active [6] Several investigations have been carried out on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces with their respective superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic counterparts or enhancements, and on self-cleaning properties and various possible application areas in general [1,2,5,10,11,12,22,24,25,27,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46]. It is not within the scope of this work to go into details of all these, as the focus of this work is on self-cleaning characterization methods, state-of-the-art self-cleaning glazing products of today and future research pathways for self-cleaning glazing products of tomorrow.…”

Section: Theory Behind the Self-cleaning Effect Of Glazing Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The possibilities of the Lotus leaf with its hydrophobicity is investigated in several studies [25,34,35,45], and superhydrophobicity (including ultrahydrophobicity [42]) is furthermore the topic of yet several more studies [11,27,34,36,37,39,40,42,43,44,46], where links to nanostructure of the matter and hence nanotechnology are given in various works [1,12,33,35,40,45]. The large collection of water-repellent and self-cleaning plant surfaces with corresponding contact angles by Neinhuis and Barthlott (1997) [41] should be noted.…”

Section: Pursue Superhydrophobic Surface Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-cleaning glazing products: A state-of-the-art review and future research pathways

Midtdal

Jelle

2013

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

179

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Self-cleaning technology is used in a variety of products today, with glazing products being the foremost area of application. However, there are several self-cleaning technologies in use and their self-cleaning efficiency may be unclear. This study aims to give a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the self-cleaning glazing products available on the market today and investigate methods for measuring the self-cleaning effect. Various future research pathways and opportunities for the self-cleaning products of tomorrow are also explored within this study, with emphasis on solar energy application areas such as daylight, solar radiation transmission, electrochromism, building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), solar cell glazing and solar cells in general. Self-cleaning products from several manufacturers that utilize two different self-cleaning technologies of either photocatalytic hydrophilic or hydrophobic capability are presented. The photocatalytic hydrophilic products in question are self-cleaning glazing products ready-to-use when purchased, whilst the presented hydrophobic products are coatings that must be applied to existing glazing products in order to yield a water-repellent and self-cleaning surface. It is stated that the self-cleaning action of the photocatalytic hydrophilic products is evident through 25 to 30 years, even during dry spills, and that they are able to maintain a cleaner surface than ordinary untreated float glass. However, the selfcleaning action of hydrophobic-coated products is limited by a relatively short life expectancy of about 3-4 years, and their self-cleaning performance is found to be feeble compared to ordinary untreated float glass. Nonetheless, the potential for future use of both self-cleaning technologies are apparent, with focus on alternative application areas such as solar cells, BIPV and information display devices, which indeed could benefit from utilizing the selfcleaning technology. Visions for future self-cleaning products are also discussed, which combine self-cleaning abilities with photovoltaism and electrochromism, whereupon the applicability of the self-cleaning technology may be greatly increased.

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Superhydrophobic Carbon Nanotube Forests

Cited by 1,509 publications

References 38 publications

Comparison of two different carbon nanotube-based surfaces with respect to potassium ferricyanide electrochemistry

Comparison of two different carbon nanotube-based surfaces with respect to potassium ferricyanide electrochemistry

Bio‐Inspired, Smart, Multiscale Interfacial Materials

Self-cleaning glazing products: A state-of-the-art review and future research pathways

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