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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Preparation and Friction Force Microscopy Measurements of Immiscible, Opposing Polymer Brushes

Preparation and Friction Force Microscopy Measurements of Immiscible, Opposing Polymer Brushes

Published on: December 24, 2014

Wetting transition on hydrophobic surfaces covered by polyelectrolyte brushes.

P Muller¹, G Sudre, O Théodoly

¹Complex Fluids Laboratory, CNRS UMR 166, 350 George Patterson Boulevard, Bristol, Pennsylvania 19007, USA.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|July 26, 2008

Summary

We investigated water wetting on hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces using polymer brushes. Well-anchored brushes transition from partial to total wetting, explained by a model considering brush pressure and hydration energy.

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Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications

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Published on: August 15, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Surface Chemistry
Polymer Science

Background:

Understanding surface wetting is crucial for applications in coatings, microfluidics, and biomaterials.
Complex surfaces with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions present unique wetting behaviors.
Hydrophilic polymer brushes can modify the surface properties of hydrophobic substrates.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the wetting behavior of water on hydrophobic substrates coated with hydrophilic polymer brushes.
To analyze the transition from partial to total wetting as a function of polymer brush properties.
To develop a model explaining the observed wetting transitions.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of polystyrene (PS) substrates with polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) diblock copolymer layers using Langmuir-Schaefer depositions.
Characterization of surface morphology and thickness using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ellipsometry.
Measurement of contact angles (advancing and receding) to quantify wetting behavior.

Main Results:

Bare PS substrates exhibited hydrophobic wetting (theta A ≈ 93°, theta R ≈ 81°).
Poorly anchored PS-b-PAA layers showed large contact angle hysteresis, attributed to dewetting.
Well-anchored PS-b-PAA layers demonstrated a wetting transition from partial to total wetting (theta A and theta R approaching 0°) with increasing deposited amount.
A model based on the Young-Dupre equation successfully predicted the wetting transition, highlighting the role of brush interfacial pressure and monomer hydration free energy.

Conclusions:

The wetting behavior of water on hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces is strongly influenced by the anchoring and thickness of the hydrophilic polymer brush.
A theoretical model incorporating brush interfacial pressure and hydration free energy accurately describes the observed wetting transitions.
The study provides insights into controlling surface wettability through polymer brush engineering.