Fabrication of super-hydrophobic surface on copper surface by polymer plating

The 6-(N-allyl-1,1,2,2-tetrahydroperfluorodecyl)amino-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithiol monosodium) (ATP) was used to fabricate polymeric thin film on pure copper plate to achieve super-hydrophobic surface. The copper plates were pretreated to gain rough surfaces by chemical etching before polymer plating. The polymer plating process of ATP on copper in Na2CO3 aqueous solution and the growth mechanism of poly(6-(N-allyl-1,1,2,2-tetrahydro-perfluorodecyl) amino-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithiol) (PAT) thin film was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry. The polymeric film was investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the etched surfaces were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A contact angle meter was applied to measure the contact angles with distilled water drops at ambient temperature. The experimental results indicated that the polymeric film formed on rough copper surface exhibits super-hydrophobic property with a distilled water contact angle of 155°. The wettability of copper surfaces was discussed on the basis of both Wenzel and Cassie theories. The etching and polymer plating processes are time-saving, inexpensive, environmental and fairly convenient to carry out. It is expected that this technique will advance the production of super-hydrophobic materials with new applications in large scale. Moreover, this kind of thin film can be used as a dielectric material due to its insulated feature.