Superhydrophobic photocatalytic PTFE – Titania coatings deposited by reactive pDC magnetron sputtering from a blended powder target

Abstract

The production of photocatalytic coatings with superhydrophobic properties, as opposed to the conventional hydrophilic properties, is desirable for the prevention of adhesion of contaminants to photocatalytic surfaces with subsequent deterioration of photocatalytic properties. In this work polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) -TiO2 composite thin films were deposited using a novel method of reactive pulsed direct current (pDC) magnetron sputtering of a blended PTFE -titanium oxide powder target. The surface characteristics and photocatalytic properties of the deposited composite coatings were studied. The as-deposited coatings were annealed at 523 K in air and analysed with Raman spectroscopy, optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy. Hydrophobicity was assessed though measurements of water contact angles, and photocatalytic properties were studied via methylene blue dye degradation under UV irradiation. It was found that variations of gas flow and, hence, process pressures allowed deposition of samples combining superhydrophobicity with stable photocatalytic efficiency under UV light irradiation. Reversible wettability behaviour was observed with the alternation of light-dark cycles.

Rf-Sputtered Teflon®-Modified Superhydrophobic Nanostructured Titanium Dioxide Coating on Aluminum Alloy for Icephobic Applications

“…Therefore, ice adhesion would be significantly reduced on superhydrophobic surfaces. There have been several advances in rendering aluminum and metal surfaces superhydrophobic by different methods, all of which involves combining a rough microstructure with a low-surface-energy coating either by one-or two-step processes employing diverse preparation routes [15][16][17]. However, ice adhesion has also been reported to vary as a function of the dielectric nature of the coating due to mirror charge screening effects, as reported previously [1,18].…”

Liquid‐Repellent Metal Oxide Photocatalysts

“…Sputtering is a good tool for the formation of uniform liquid‐repellent structures or coatings on MOPCs . Radiofrequency magnetron sputtering (RF‐MS) has been used to prepare a PTFE‐MOPC composite film.…”

Unveiling the growth mode and structure relaxation of Polytetrafluoroethylene film by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

“…It has been widely adopted in industry and daily life owning to its characteristics of strong aging resistance, stable chemical properties, prominent mechanical toughness, high lubrication, and non-stickiness, among others [1,2]. Different shapes of PTFE are applied on various occasions such as lubrication, piezoelectricity, surface coating and filtration [3][4][5]. Magnetron sputtering is a mature technology to prepare high-quality PTFE film.…”