A nanotextured surface (NTS) is a surface which is covered with
nano-sized structures. Such surfaces have one dimension on the
nanoscale
The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...
, i.e., only the thickness of the surface of an object is between 0.1 and 100 nm. They are currently gaining popularity because of their special applications due to their unique physical properties. Nanotextured surfaces are in various forms like cones, columns, or fibers. These are water, ice, oil, and microorganism repellent that is superamphiphobic,
anti-icing
Deicing is the process of removing snow, ice or frost from a surface. Anti-icing is the application of chemicals that not only deice but also remain on a surface and continue to delay the reformation of ice for a certain period of time, or prev ...
, and
antifouling respectively and thus self-cleaning. They are simultaneously
anti-reflective
An antireflective, antiglare or anti-reflection (AR) coating is a type of optical coating applied to the surface of lenses, other optical elements, and photovoltaic cells to reduce reflection. In typical imaging systems, this improves the ef ...
and transparent, hence they are termed ''smart'' surfaces.
In research published online October 21, 2013, in
Advanced Materials
''Advanced Materials'' is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering materials science. It includes communications, reviews, and feature articles on topics in chemistry, physics, nanotechnology, ceramics, metallurgy, and biomaterial ...
, of a group of scientists at the
U.S. Department of Energy's
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base and Japanese internment c ...
(BNL), led by BNL physicist and lead author Antonio Checco, proposed that nanotexturing surfaces in the form of cones produces highly
water-repellent surfaces. These nano-cone textures are ''super
hydrophobic
In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water.
Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, ...
'' or super-water-hating.
See also
References
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Cyril R. A. John Chelliah, Cyril R. A. John Chelliah, Rajesh Swaminathan, Rajesh Swaminathan, "Pulsed laser deposited hexagonal wurzite ZnO thin-film nanostructures/nanotextures for nanophotonics applications," Journal of Nanophotonics 12(1), 016013 (13 February 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.12.016013
[Cyril R. A. John Chelliah, Cyril R. A. John Chelliah, Rajesh Swaminathan, Rajesh Swaminathan, } "Pulsed laser deposited hexagonal wurzite ZnO thin-film nanostructures/nanotextures for nanophotonics applications," Journal of Nanophotonics 12(1), 016013 (13 February 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.12.016013 ]
Nanomaterials
Display technology
Moisture protection
Surface science