Wettability Conversion of an Aluminum-hydroxide Nanostructure by Ion Implantation

Abstract

This work presents a method for controlling the wettability of an aluminum-hydroxide (Al(OH)(3)) nanostructure by using ion implantation. We implant Xe ions into Al(OH)(3) nanostructures at dosages between 5 x 10(14) to 1 x 10(16) ions/cm(2). The microscopic surface morphology of the nanostructure after implantation does not change under our dosing conditions. However, a drastic increase in the surface contact angle (CA) from 0 degrees to 100 degrees is observed at a dosage of 5 x 10 15 ions/cm(2). We attribute this significant change in CA to the composition and chemical bonding states of carbon contained within the Al(OH)(3) nanostructure.