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Updated: May 30, 2026
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Production of a superhydrophilic surface by aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon
Kenneth Kollias1, Hengyu Wang, Ying Song
1Electrical Engineering Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Physics Department, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA 17257, USA.
Abstract:
The wettability of glass substrates textured via aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) was studied. It was found that a stable superhydrophilic surface could be produced by AIC of a-Si. This research suggests that densely distributed micron-sized silicon islands with nanoscale silicon spikes produced by the technique of AIC of a-Si are responsible for the stable superhydrophilicity. The study also shows that these superhydrophilic surfaces can be easily converted to superhydrophobic ones by means of coating with C(4)F(8).
