Robust hydrophobic gold, glass and polypropylene surfaces obtained through a nanometric covalently bound organic layer

A. Mattiuzzi , L. Troian-Gautier (1) , J. Mertens (2) , F. Reniers (2) , Jean-François Bergamini (3) , Q. Lenne (3) , C. Lagrost (3) , I. Jabin (1)

1 Laboratoire de Chimie Organique
2 UNamur - Université de Namur [Namur]
3 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes

The (electro)chemical grafting of a polyfluorinated calix[4]arene on gold, polypropylene and glass is reported. The modified surfaces were characterized by ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A nanometric, robust and uniform monolayer of covalently surface-bound calix[4]arenes was obtained on the three different materials. For all surfaces, contact angles higher than 110° were recorded, highlighting the hydrophobic character given by this ∼2 nm thin organic monolayer. Remarkably, the contact angle values remained unchanged after 18 months under a laboratory atmosphere. The results presented herein thus present an attractive and sustainable strategy for bringing hydrophobic properties to the interface of a wide range of materials. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Keywords: Covalently bound; Chemical grafting; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Monolayers; Modified surfaces; Hydrophobic character; Hydrophobic properties; Aromatic hydrocarbons; Contact angle; Glass; Gold; Grafting (chemical); Hydrophobicity; Organic monolayers; Surface bounds; Sustainable strategies; Polypropylenes

Domains: Chemical Sciences; Material chemistry

A. Mattiuzzi, L. Troian-Gautier, J. Mertens, F. Reniers, Jean-François Bergamini, et al.. Robust hydrophobic gold, glass and polypropylene surfaces obtained through a nanometric covalently bound organic layer. RSC Advances, 2020, 10 (23), pp.13553-13561. ⟨10.1039/d0ra01011a⟩. ⟨hal-02569852⟩