2010 Volume 79 Issue 3 Pages 248-252
Ultrahydrophobicity (water contact angle : more than 150°) and ultrahydrophilicity (water contact angle : almost 0°) have wide applications in industry. We are developing various methods of preparing ultrahydrophobic surfaces including plasma-enhanced CVD (chemical vapor deposition), a transfer method, and the CVD of self-assembled monolayers. In particular, we can prepare transparent ultrahydrophobic thin films by precisely controlling the roughness on their surfaces. We have applied ultrahydrophobic surfaces to coatings on various materials and parts, and for the three-dimensional cultures of various cells. Moreover, ultrahydrophobic/ultrahydrophilic micropatterns can be formed by lithography using vacuum-ultraviolet light, and we can fabricate microscale arrays of waterdroplets, microscale wiring, micro-assemblies of micro/nanoparticles, and microarrays of cells and bacteria using these patterns.
