Characterization and Control of the Wettability of Conducting Polymer Thin Films
Name
Hunter_CharacterizationAnd.pdf
Size
868.23 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f691289f9dfd923d7ea3c6ce537cc7a0
Author(s)
Hunter, Ian
Chang, Jean H.
Date Issued
January 2010
Journal
Materials Research Society (MRS) symposia proceedings
Publisher
Materials Research Society
Citation
Chang, Jean, and Ian W. Hunter. “Characterization and Control of the Wettability of Conducting Polymer Thin Films.” Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings. 2009. ©Materials Research Society 2010
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The wettability of electrochemically deposited conducting polymer films is highly dependent on
several parameters including the deposition conditions, the dopant, and the roughness of the
working electrode. To produce superhydrophobic surfaces, one must be able to control the micro
and nanostructure of the film. In this study, a template-free method of producing
superhydrophobic (water contact angle of 154°) polypyrrole films was demonstrated. The
polypyrrole was doped with the low surface-energy heptadecafluorooctanesulfonic acid and had
microstructures with nanometer-scale roughness. The microstructures served to increase the
roughness of the film and amplify the hydrophobicity of the surface. It is also of interest to be
able to dynamically adjust the wettability of a polypyrrole surface after deposition. Applications
of this functionality include microfluidics, self-cleaning surfaces, liquid lenses, and smart
textiles. By oxidizing or reducing a polypyrrole film, one can change the surface morphology as
well as the chemical composition, and control the wettability of the surface. This study
characterizes the electrochemically-induced changes in surface energy of polypyrrole. The
relationship between applied voltage, charge transferred, surface roughness, and water contact
angle was investigated. Upon reduction, the polypyrrole film was switched to a superhydrophilic
state and the maximum change in contact angle was observed to be 154°. Surface wettability was
found to be not fully reversible, with some hysteresis occurring after the first electrochemical
cycle.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1228-KK04-03
