Hydrophobic coatings with charge permeability via plasma deposition of long-chain perfluorocarbons
Date
2024
Authors
Delcheva, I.
Weinfurter, A.
Hui, K.W.
Gheorghiu, A.
Tran, T.T.D.
Vasilev, K.
Mougel, V.
Harmer, S.L.
MacGregor, M.N.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2024; 7(13):5326-5337
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
Hydrophobization of nanotextured catalyst materials is a promising route to enhance the yield of N2 and CO2 conversion into green fuels. However, these applications require a hydrophobic coating to not only promote air trapping but also allow charge transfer at the electrode–electrolyte interface. In this work, nano thin films with thicknesses as low as 7 nm were deposited from the plasma phase of perfluorohexene, perfluorodecene, and perfluorooctane (PFO) precursors using a mild vacuum and gentle powers. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization reveal that the resulting films are conformal and hydrophobic thanks to a good retention of CF2 and CF3 moieties. The PFO films exhibited the highest water contact angle and achieved superhydrophobic states when deposited on top of re-entrant nano features, an indication of successful air trapping. Electrochemical studies further demonstrated that the plasma-deposited PFO films allow charge transfer but could only sustain repeated cyclic voltammetry cycles without losing their hydrophobicity when deposited under optimal conditions. This result indicates that plasma deposition could become a viable route for the hydrophobization of electrocatalysts required to enhance the yield of poorly soluble gas reduction reactions.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Data source: Supporting information, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.3c03177
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2024 The Author(s). Published by American Chemical Society