Induced superhydrophobicity in ZnO nanomaterial

Pronounced variation of wettability from high hydrophilic state to superhydrophobic has been observed in ZnO-nanomaterial irradiated by low energy electrons. It has been found that for electron-treated nanomaterial water does not wet the ZnO-nanoparticles and does not penetrate at all inside the micrometer-size pores between individual nanoparticles and their aggregates. The water droplets fix on individual protrusions of strongly inhomogeneous hydrophobic ZnO-nanomaterial surface leading to the superhydrophobic states. The observed effect is consistent with proposed theoretical description. The developed environmentally clean technology of nanomaterial surface modification is the basis for engineering of other related to wettability surface properties such as hygroscopicity and agglomeration and it may be applied in a number of nanotechnology applications.