Tunable wettability of microstructured polypyrrole films

This thesis presents the development of the conducting polymer polypyrrole as a viable material for applications requiring switchable wettability. A fabrication procedure that produces robust microstructured polypyrrole (PPy) that quickly and reversibly switches between the superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic states is discussed. The polymer is doped with perfluorooctanesulfonate ions which diffuse in and out of the film upon an electric stimulus, causing a change in the material's surface energy. The effect of changing different deposition parameters on the switchable wettability of the polymer is also investigated. A post-deposition thermal treatment that improves the electrochemical properties of polypyrrole is presented. Finally, a device that allows for the in situ wettability switch of PPy is developed, eliminating the need for polypyrrole to be immersed in an electrolyte in order to switch between wetting states. A wettability gradient created on the surface of PPy using the device is used to demonstrate a possible application requiring induced fluid movement. Electrochemical techniques are used to synthesize and characterize the polymers, and scanning electron microscopy is used to examine the surface morphology of the films.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Chang, Jean H

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ian W. Hunter.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62526

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/62526