Reversible Super-hydrophobicity to Super-hydrophilicity Transition of Aligned ZnO Nanorod Films
Journal of the American Chemical Society2003Vol. 126(1), pp. 62–63
Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2003 papers
Abstract
Remarkable surface wettability transition occurs with an inducement of ultraviolet (UV) for aligned ZnO nanorod films. The inorganic oxide films, which show super-hydrophobicity (left), become super-hydrophilic (right) when exposed to UV illumination. After the films are placed in the dark, the wettability evolves back to super-hydrophobicity. This reversible effect is ascribed to the cooperation of the surface photosensitivity and the aligned nanostructure. Such special property will greatly extend the applications of ZnO films.