플라즈마 에칭 처리된 PTFE 표면의 발수성 연구

Many plants and animals in nature have superhydrophobic surfaces. This superhydrophobic surface has various properties such as self-cleaning, moisture collection, and anti-icing. In this study, the superhydrophobic properties of PTFE surface were treated by plasma etching. There were four important factors that changed the surface properties. Micro-sized protrusions were formed by plasma etching. The most influential parameter was RF Power. The contact angle of the pristine PTFE surface was about 113.8°. The maximum contact angle of the surface after plasma treatment with optimized parameters was about 168.1°. In this case, the sliding angle was quite small about 1°. These properties made it possible to remove droplets easily from the surface. To verify the self-cleaning effect of the surface, graphite was used to contaminate the surface and remove it with water droplets. Graphite particles were easily removed from the optimized surface compared to the pristine surface. As a result, a surface having water repellency and self-cleaning effects could be produced with optimized plasma etching parameters.