Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

Ultra-water-repellent silicone-based surfaces were produced to study their self-cleaning properties. First, we investigated the consistency of the micro-nano air pockets that are present between the surface asperities responsible for the formation of the Cassie-Baxter regime. We then performed a comprehensive series of self-cleaning experiments involving both dissolved and non-dissolved contaminants using various materials (e.g., kaolin, carbon black, silica, etc.) and contaminant-applying methods (e.g., dropwise, spraying, wet or dry contaminants). In this paper, the self-cleaning tests were arranged from the less severe, i.e., non- dissolved contamination tests, to more severe, i.e., wet dissolved contamination test, and ending with the most severe, i.e., dry dissolved contamination test. Due to the ultra-low contact angle hysteresis, the produced surfaces showed favorable self-cleaning properties against the various types of contaminants and the different means of contaminant application. The produced surfaces retained their water repellency properties following application of the contaminants and after the cleaning of the surfaces, thus verifying the self-cleaning performance and resistance of the fabricated superhydrophobic silicone surfaces.