Publication

Abstract : Superhydrophobic surfaces have aroused immense interest in scientific community and have emerged as a hottest area of research recently. Due to the extensive assortment of prospective applications of superhydrophobic surfaces, there is a necessity for a deeper comprehension of the morphology, roughness, surface chemistry, surface wetting, and stability. Characterization of the wetting properties is a major criterion required for the targeted development of superhydrophobic materials. The fabrication of such materials should satisfy two major conditions. First, the surface has to be of low energy and second, the nano and the microstructures need to be designed in such a way that it leads to the entrapment of air. Hence, understanding whether the prepared material meets the end application requirement of hydrophobicity, characterization, and quantification of the material properties are of utmost importance. This article attempts to explain the important characterization methods used to quantify wetting properties of superhydrophic layers such as contact angle measurement, roll-off angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy, white light interferometry, etc. The chapter will also describe details of each method in terms of principle, instrumentation, and interpretation of test results.