Abstract
Properties of hydrophobic layer formation based on photoelectrochemical oxidation of aromatic compounds were studied.
Hydrophobic organic layers were formed on surfaces of semiconductor electrodes by photoelectrolysis in an electolyte containing water soluble aromatic compounds. This reaction brought about a hydrophilic and hydrophobic pattern on the electrode and could be used for a new type of printing system. In this work, the reactions of TiO2/phenol derivatives were examined in detail as an a typical system.
The change of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties (wettability) was evaluated by measuring contact angles of a drop of water on the surface. The rate of change of the wettability depended on the irradiation wavelength, concentration of phenols and the PH value of the electrolytic solutions. These results were explained on the basis of the photoelectrochemical characteristics of the TiO2 photoanode.
The effect of introducing the hydrophobic substituent groups, methyl- or ethyl- groups, to the phenol on the hydrophobicity of the deposited layers was also discussed.
