SUPERHYDROPHOBIC COPPER SURFACES BY SHOT PEENING AND CHEMICAL TREATMENT

In this paper, superhydrophobic surfaces are developed on polycrystalline copper using a combination of mechanical and chemical treatments by shot peening, dislocation etching and stearic acid treatment. The key point in this combined approach is the fabrication of a dislocation forest by shot peening. These sites were dissolved by etching, and hierarchical structures were fabricated. When these etched surfaces are treated by stearic acid, which has low surface energy, they become superhydrophobic with contact angle more than 150 degrees. Because of the superior properties and low costs involved with this method, it is expected to be widely used in the industry to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces.