Superhydrophobicity is the property of a surface, that a drop of water wets it as little as possible. A surface is defined as superhydrophobic if the contact angle of the water on it is greater than 150°. Superhydrophobic surface can be wetted in several different states. In the event that a droplet soaks the surface in the Cassie-Baxter state, the droplet quickly drains from the minimally inclined surface.
In the filmography and photography industry, water droplets on the lenses of cameras interfere with the clarity of the image. This is especially notable in shooting water sports, where the probability of water droplets at least spraying the camera lens is quite high.
In the master's thesis, we tried to prepare a superhydrophobic and transparent coating on glass with a simple, low-cost method. Superhydrophobic coating was made by polymerization of silanes. We tried to optimize the reaction for larger samples. An attempt was made to modify the reaction, varying the amounts of reagents added, the method of catalysis, the choice of atmosphere, and the method of extracting the sample from the solution. The best results were transferred onto the lens of the GoPro sports camera.
The contact angle with water was measured with an optical tensiometer, the proportion of optical transmittance of the sample was measured with a spectrophotometer, a few images were taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and abrasion resistance was tested with a tape and wiping test.
We have successfully prepared a superhydrophobic transparent surface on glass, but not without issues. The homogeneity of the coating application is in many cases inferior and the abrasion resistance is poor, which means that this method is not the most suitable for practical use.
|
