Effects of Gas Layer Thickness on Capillary Interactions at Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Strongly attractive forces act between superhydrophobic surfaces across water due to the formation of a bridging gas capillary. Upon separation, the attraction can range up to tens of micrometers as the gas capillary grows, while gas molecules accumulate in the capillary. We argue that most of these molecules come from the pre-existing gaseous layer found at and within the superhydrophobic coating.

Calcite Surfaces Modified with Carboxylic Acids (C to C): Layer Organization, Wettability, Stability, and Molecular Structural Properties.

A fundamental understanding of the interactions between mineral surfaces and amphiphilic surface modification agents is needed for better control over the production and uses of mineral fillers. Here, we controlled the carboxylic acid layer formation conditions on calcite surfaces with high precision via vapor deposition. The properties of the resulting carboxylic acid layers were analyzed using surface-sensitive techniques, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy.

Effects of liquid surface tension on gas capillaries and capillary forces at superamphiphobic surfaces.

The formation of a bridging gas capillary between superhydrophobic surfaces in water gives rise to strongly attractive interactions ranging up to several micrometers on separation. However, most liquids used in materials research are oil-based or contain surfactants. Superamphiphobic surfaces repel both water and low-surface-tension liquids.

Surface-Modified and Unmodified Calcite: Effects of Water and Saturated Aqueous Octanoic Acid Droplets on Stability and Saturated Fatty Acid Layer Organization.

A profound understanding of the properties of unmodified and saturated fatty acid-modified calcite surfaces is essential for elucidating their resistance and stability in the presence of water droplets. Additional insights can be obtained by also studying the effects of carboxylic acid-saturated aqueous solutions. We elucidate surface wettability, structure, and nanomechanical properties beneath and at the edge of a deposited droplet after its evaporation.

Nanoscale Wear and Mechanical Properties of Calcite: Effects of Stearic Acid Modification and Water Vapor.

Understanding the wear of mineral fillers is crucial for controlling industrial processes, and in the present work, we examine the wear resistance and nanomechanical properties of bare calcite and stearic acid-modified calcite surfaces under dry and humid conditions at the nanoscale. Measurements under different loads allow us to probe the situation in the absence and presence of abrasive wear. The sliding motion is in general characterized by irregular stick-slip events that at higher loads lead to abrasion of the brittle calcite surface.

Nanocellulose-Based Hybrid Materials for UV Blocking and Mechanically Robust Barriers.

Nanocellulose (NC)-based hybrid coatings and films containing CeO and SiO nanoparticles (NPs) to impart UV screening and hardness properties, respectively, were prepared by solvent casting. The NC film-forming component (75 wt % of the overall solids) was composed entirely of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) or of CNCs combined with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). Zeta potential measurements indicated that the four NP types (CNC, CNF, CeO, and SiO) were stably dispersed in water and negatively charged at pH values between 6 and 9.

Wetting Transition on Liquid-Repellent Surfaces Probed by Surface Force Measurements and Confocal Imaging.

Superhydrophobic surfaces in the Cassie-Baxter wetting state retain an air layer at the surface which prevents liquid water from reaching into the porous surface structure. In this work we explore how addition of ethanol, which reduces the surface tension, influences the wetting properties of superhydrophobic and smooth hydrophobic surfaces. Wetting properties are measured by dynamic contact angles, and the air layer at the superhydrophobic surface is visualized by laser scanning confocal microscopy.

Continuous Processing of Nanocellulose and Polylactic Acid into Multilayer Barrier Coatings.

Recent years have seen an increased interest toward utilizing biobased and biodegradable materials for barrier packaging applications. Most of the abovementioned materials usually have certain shortcomings that discourage their adoption as a preferred material of choice. Nanocellulose falls into such a category.

Direct Observation of Gas Meniscus Formation on a Superhydrophobic Surface.

The formation of a bridging gas meniscus via cavitation or nanobubbles is considered the most likely origin of the submicrometer long-range attractive forces measured between hydrophobic surfaces in aqueous solution. However, the dynamics of the formation and evolution of the gas meniscus is still under debate, in particular, in the presence of a thin air layer on a superhydrophobic surface. On superhydrophobic surfaces the range can even exceed 10 μm.

Iceland spar calcite: Humidity and time effects on surface properties and their reversibility.

Understanding the complex and dynamic nature of calcite surfaces under ambient conditions is important for optimizing industrial applications. It is essential to identify processes, their reversibility, and the relevant properties of CaCO solid-liquid and solid-gas interfaces under different environmental conditions, such as at increased relative humidity (RH). This work elucidates changes in surface properties on freshly cleaved calcite (topography, wettability and surface forces) as a function of time (≤28 h) at controlled humidity (≤3-95 %RH) and temperature (25.

Propofol adsorption at the air/water interface: a combined vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron reflectometry study.

Propofol is an amphiphilic small molecule that strongly influences the function of cell membranes, yet data regarding interfacial properties of propofol remain scarce. Here we consider propofol adsorption at the air/water interface as elucidated by means of vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS), neutron reflectometry (NR), and surface tensiometry. VSFS data show that propofol adsorbed at the air/water interface interacts with water strongly in terms of hydrogen bonding and weakly in the proximity of the hydrocarbon parts of the molecule.

Interactions between model cell membranes and the neuroactive drug propofol.

Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) complemented by surface pressure isotherm and neutron reflectometry (NR) experiments were employed to investigate the interactions between propofol, a small amphiphilic molecule that currently is the most common general anaesthetic drug, and phospholipid monolayers. A series of biologically relevant saturated phospholipids of varying chain length from C to C were spread on either pure water or propofol (2,6-bis(1-methylethyl)phenol) solution in a Langmuir trough, and the change in the molecular structure of the film, induced by the interaction with propofol, was studied with respect to the surface pressure. The results from the surface pressure isotherm experiments revealed that propofol, as long as it remains at the interface, enhances the fluidity of the phospholipid monolayer.

Superhydrophobicity: cavity growth and wetting transition.

We show by using AFM colloidal probe microscopy (combinations of hydrophobic/superhydrophobic as probe/surface) that superhydrophobicity displays a set of specific events when compared with hydrophobicity. Both attraction (due to capillary and wetting forces) and repulsion (most likely due to repelling air/vapor layers or micro-/nanobubbles) occur upon approach and when surfaces are pulled apart both shorter range (50-100 nm or more) and longer range (several micrometers) attractive forces are displayed. The interaction is explained by forces generated through the formation of air and water vapor cavities, in the shorter-range (>50 nm) case maintaining a constant volume of the cavity, in agreement with calculation of capillary forces, and in the longer-range (>1 μm) case through access of air to the cavity, in agreement with thermodynamics of cavity growth.

Superhydrophilic polyelectrolyte brush layers with imparted anti-icing properties: effect of counter ions.

This work demonstrates the feasibility of superhydrophilic polyelectrolyte brush coatings for anti-icing applications. Five different types of ionic and nonionic polymer brush coatings of 25-100 nm thickness were formed on glass substrates using silane chemistry for surface premodification followed by polymerization via the SI-ATRP route. The cationic [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride] and the anionic [poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate), poly(sodium methacrylate)] polyelectrolyte brushes were further exchanged with H+, Li+, Na+, K+, Ag+, Ca2+, La3+, C16N+, F-, Cl-, BF4-, SO4(2-), and C12SO3- ions.

The effect of superhydrophobic wetting state on corrosion protection--the AKD example.

Corrosion is of considerable concern whenever metal is used as construction material. In this study we address whether superhydrophobic coatings could be used as part of an environmentally friendly corrosion-protective system, and specific focus is put on how the wetting regime of a superhydrophobic coating affects corrosion inhibition. Superhydrophobic alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) wax coatings were produced, using different methods resulting in hierarchical structures, where the coatings exhibit the same surface chemistry but different wetting regimes.

Frictional forces between hydrophilic and hydrophobic particle coated nanostructured surfaces.

Friction forces have long been associated with the famous Amontons' rule that states that the friction force is linearly dependent on the applied normal load, with the proportionality constant being known as the friction coefficient. Amontons' rule is however purely phenomenological and does not in itself provide any information on why the friction coefficient is different for different material combinations. In this study, friction forces between a colloidal probe and nanostructured particle coated surfaces in an aqueous environment exhibiting different roughness length scales were measured by utilizing the atomic force microscope (AFM).

Multicycle Wilhelmy plate method for wetting properties, swelling and liquid sorption of wood.

A multicycle Wilhelmy plate method has been developed to investigate wetting properties, liquid sorption, and swelling of porous substrates such as wood. The use of the method is exemplified by studies of wood veneers of Scots pine sapwood and heartwood, which were subjected to repeated immersion and withdrawal in a swelling liquid (water) and in a nonswelling liquid (octane). The swelling liquid changes the sample dimensions during measurements, in particular its perimeter.

Hydrophobic pore array surfaces: wetting and interaction forces in water/ethanol mixtures.

Interactions between and wetting behavior of structured hydrophobic surfaces using different concentrations of water/ethanol mixtures have been investigated. Silica surfaces consisting of pore arrays with different pore spacings and pore depths were made hydrophobic by silanization. Their static and dynamic contact angles were found to be independent of the pore depth while fewer pores on the surface, i.

Effect of surface depressions on wetting and interactions between hydrophobic pore array surfaces.

The surface structure is known to significantly affect the long-range capillary forces between hydrophobic surfaces in aqueous solutions. It is, however, not clear how small depressions in the surface will affect the interaction. To clarify this, we have used the AFM colloidal probe technique to measure interactions between hydrophobic microstructured pore array surfaces and a hydrophobic colloidal probe.

Influence of surface topography on the interactions between nanostructured hydrophobic surfaces.

Nanostructured particle coated surfaces, with hydrophobized particles arranged in close to hexagonal order and of specific diameters ranging from 30 nm up to 800 nm, were prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition followed by silanization. These surfaces have been used to study interactions between hydrophobic surfaces and a hydrophobic probe using the AFM colloidal probe technique. The different particle coated surfaces exhibit similar water contact angles, independent of particle size, which facilitates studies of how the roughness length scale affects capillary forces (previously often referred to as "hydrophobic interactions") in aqueous solutions.

Robust hydrophobic surfaces displaying different surface roughness scales while maintaining the same wettability.

A range of surfaces coated with spherical silica particles, covering the size range from nanometer to micrometer, have been produced using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition. The particles were characterized both in suspension and in the Langmuir trough to optimize the surface preparation procedure. By limiting the particle aggregation and surface layer failures during the preparation steps, well-defined monolayers with a close-packed structure have been obtained for all particle sizes.

Influence of surface topography on adhesive and long-range capillary forces between hydrophobic surfaces in water.

We report on the interactions between a hydrophobic probe particle and surfaces with nanoscopic surface features. These surfaces have been prepared by spin-coating of nanoparticles and by polishing. The surface topography was characterized by AFM, using the methods of high-resolution imaging, low-resolution imaging using the probe particle, and by the rolling ball method.

Influence of wetting and dispersing agents on the interaction between talc and hydrophobic particles.

The interactions between a natural talc surface and a model hydrophobic particle have been investigated in aqueous solutions by employing the atomic force microscopy (AFM) colloidal probe technique. The results demonstrate the presence of long-range attractive forces due to bridging via preadsorbed or induced bubbles/cavities. Due to the natural heterogeneity of talc, and the stochastic nature of the bubble bridging process, the variability in the range and magnitude of the attraction is larger than that for cases when other interactions predominate or than that when only model surfaces are used.

Interaction forces between talc and pitch probed by atomic force microscopy.

Colloidal wood resin components present in pulp are collectively called "pitch". The presence of pitch may cause severe problems due to deposits in and on the paper machine. There is thus a need for controlling pitch aggregation and adsorption.