Long-Lifetime, Superhydrophobic, Free-standing Carbon Infiltrated Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Structures

Karlheinz Strobl (a), Fahd Rajab (b)

(a) CVD Equipment Corporation, 355 S. Technology Drive Central Islip, NY 11722
(b) Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University, Saudi Arabia
(c) Promising Centre for Sensors and Electronic Devices (PCSED), Advanced Materials and Nano-Research Centre, Najran University, P.O. Box: 1988, Najran 11001, Saudi Arabia

Long lifetime, free-standing, superhydrophobic, carbon infiltrated vertically aligned carbon nanotube structures (ct-VACNT) are prepared by VLS-assisted VACNT growth on photolithographic patterned catalyst wafers, followed by a carbon infiltration process creating c-VACNT precursor structures (made from a nanoporous carbon sponge material) which are subsequently released from the catalyst wafers, surface roughened on their top and bottom surface and then conformally overcoated with a few nm thick hydrophobic thin film of a hydrophobic amorphous fluoropolymer, thus resulting in free-standing superhydrophobic ct-VACNT structures.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468023022005132