Production of a superhydrophilic surface by aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon

Nanotechnology. 2008 Nov 19;19(46):465304. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/19/46/465304. Epub 2008 Oct 21.

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).