Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Does A Plastron Improve Heat Transfer?, Madani A. Khan, Jeffrey Alston, Andrew Guenthner

STAR Program Research Presentations

Superamphiphobic surfaces strongly repel both water and oils. In this work, aluminum coupons are processed by sanding with various grit of sand paper to impart microscale roughness. Subsequent submersion of the aluminum substrate in boiling water grows nanoscale grass-like structures. The oxide layer of Al is slightly soluble in water. During a fast diffusion/equilibrium, Al₂O₃ nanograss grows on the surface. A low energy coating is then deposited on the surface. The micro and nanoscale features create re-entrant structures that trap air enabling contact liquid to be in a Cassie-Baxter state. Superamphiphobicity of the samples were confirmed by …