Photo Initiated Chemical Vapour Deposition To Increase Polymer Hydrophobicity

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 31574
• Main Authors: Bérard, Ariane, Patience, Gregory S., Chouinard, Gérald, Tavares, Jason R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.08.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/301; 639/638/898; 704/158/2456; Apples; Contact angle; High density polyethylenes; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrophobicity; Insecticides; multidisciplinary; Nets; Orchards; Polyethylene; polyethylene terephthalate; Quartz; Scab; Science; Spraying
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep31574

Apple growers face new challenges to produce organic apples and now many cover orchards with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nets to exclude insects, rather than spraying insecticides. However, rainwater- associated wetness favours the development of apple scabs, Venturia inaequalis , whose lesions accumulate on the leaves and fruit causing unsightly spots. Treating the nets with a superhydrophobic coating should reduce the amount of water that passes through the net. Here we treat HDPE and polyethylene terephthalate using photo-initiated chemical vapour deposition (PICVD). We placed polymer samples in a quartz tube and passed a mixture of H 2 and CO through it while a UVC lamp (254 nm) illuminated the surface. After the treatment, the contact angle between water droplets and the surface increased by an average of 20°. The contact angle of samples placed 70 cm from the entrance of the tube was higher than those at 45 cm and 20 cm. The PICVD-treated HDPE achieved a contact angle of 124°. Nets spray coated with a solvent-based commercial product achieved 180° but water ingress was, surprisingly, higher than that for nets with a lower contact angle.