Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
Committee Chair
Jeffrey Weimer
Committee Member
Carmen Scholz
Committee Member
Bernhard Vogler
Research Advisor
Jeffrey Weimer
Subject(s)
Surface chemistry--Research, Hydrophobic surfaces, Fatty acids
Abstract
The goal of this project was to make flat hydrophilic, silicon oxide-like surfaces hydrophobic. Using fatty acids in a wet chemistry approach. Glass, mica, and silicon wafer surfaces were cleaned with standard methods from the literature. The substrates were functionalized with oleic acid and stearic acid in ethyl alcohol. The solution concentration was held constant at 100 times a theoretical minimum concentration. The substrates were immersed at various functionalization times and various solution temperatures. Contact angle goniometer was used to measure the contact angle for water on the functionalized surfaces. The results confirmed that glass and oxidized silicon wafer surfaces can be made hydrophobic with oleic or stearic acid. The optimal immersion time in oleic acid was 1,000 min. At longer times, the surfaces become hydrophilic again. Functionalizing with stearic acid gave comparable contact angles to oleic acid for room temperature and 80 °C. Contact angles for oleic acid were lower at intermediate temperatures. The observations were proposed to be due to a bilayer formation at higher acid concentration.
Recommended Citation
Maman Brah Maman, Maman Sani, "Functionalizing silicon oxide like surfaces with fatty acids" (2024). Theses. 666.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/666