| Summary: | Surface hydrophobicity plays a crucial role in chemical and biological assays as an
important surface property, as it affects the spreading of liquids on the surface. This
modification of surface hydrophobicity places importance on glass materials as they are
widely used in industry and will pave the way for high-throughput chemical and biological
assays.
This project explores a novel way to effectively modify glass surface hydrophobicity using
polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), aiming to characterize how different experimental
conditions affect surface hydrophobicity. PDMS is allowed to fully cure and then cut into
cut desired shapes. After placing the PDMS structures onto glass substrates, UV ozone
treatment is then conducted. After removing the PDMS structures from the glass substrates,
the hydrophobicity of the coated surfaces is then characterized using a contact angle
measuring machine.
The experiments are compared with a control set by adjusting different variables such as
PDMS thickness, stiffness, washing of glass coverslips, the water droplet sizes, and the
duration of UV exposure. The results show a significant increase in hydrophobicity on glass
surfaces after the application of the coatings, with contact angles exceeding 100˚. As such,
this study highlighted the efficacy of PDMS coatings in the modification of surface
hydrophobicity of glass substrates, offering potential solutions for a wide range of
applications requiring water-repellent surfaces.
|
|---|