Morphology-Driven Nonwettability of Nanostructured BN Surfaces

Designing geometrical structures is an effective route to tailoring the wettability of a surface. BN-based hierarchical nano- and microstructures, in particular, vertically aligned and randomly distributed tubes and cones, were synthesized and employed as a platform for studying the influence of surface morphology on their static and dynamic interactions with water droplets. The variation of the contact angle in different hierarchical BN films is attributed to the combined effects of surface roughness and partial liquid-solid contact at the interface. Moreover, the impact response of water droplets impinging on BN arrays with different wetting properties is distinct. In the case of superhydrophobic films, the water droplet bounces off the surface several times whereas in less hydrophobic films it does not rebound and remains pinned to the surface. These results provide a facile route for the selective preparation of hierarchical BN nanostructure array films and a better understanding of their tunable water-repelling behavior, for which a number of promising applications in microelectronics and optics can be envisaged.