What are the best ways to make extruded acrylic sheet surface hydrophobic? I understand Teflon coating can be one way to do it? Is there a recipe for the same? Are there other ways to achieve hydrophobic surface on Acrylic?
A proven method uses O2 plasma to create hydroxyl groups on the PMMA surface. These OH- groups can easily react with “Teflon-like” silanes such as 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane. Just introduce the PMMA into a plasma cleaner for around 1 min (depends on the power your cleaner has) and subsequently expose it to a silane-saturated atmosphere inside a desiccator. To create the atmosphere just leave a drop of the silaneon a cover glass (or similar object) inside the desiccator, introduce your activated PMMA on the opposite to the drop, and activate the vacuum. Leave to react for 1 h. Finally, cure your PMMA for 1 h at 60-70º C and finally rinse with IPA and check for hydrophobicity with ddH2O. Good luck.
A proven method uses O2 plasma to create hydroxyl groups on the PMMA surface. These OH- groups can easily react with “Teflon-like” silanes such as 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane. Just introduce the PMMA into a plasma cleaner for around 1 min (depends on the power your cleaner has) and subsequently expose it to a silane-saturated atmosphere inside a desiccator. To create the atmosphere just leave a drop of the silaneon a cover glass (or similar object) inside the desiccator, introduce your activated PMMA on the opposite to the drop, and activate the vacuum. Leave to react for 1 h. Finally, cure your PMMA for 1 h at 60-70º C and finally rinse with IPA and check for hydrophobicity with ddH2O. Good luck.
It's was a typo, The correct statemtent would be: "... leave a drop of the silane on a cover glass..." The silane being 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane, a clear liquid at room temperature, thus just placing a drop inside the desiccator along the plasma-activated PMMA substrate.