ULTRA FAST OLEOPHOBIC-HYDROPHILIC SWITCHING SURFACES

摘要

The invention provides a coating which exhibits fast oleophobic-hydrophilic switching behaviour, such as a switching parameter magnitude and/or a switching speed, with, for example, equilibration of high oil contact angle (hexadecane=80°) and low water contact angle « 10°) values which occur within 10 s of droplet impact. These optically transparent surfaces display excellent anti-fogging and self-cleaning properties. The magnitude of oleophobic-hydrophilic switching can be further enhanced by the incorporation of surface roughness and in one embodiment the coating is applied to a surface in the form of a mesh in order to form an effective filter.