Optimization of Superhydrophobic Surface Preparation Using One-Step Immersion and Control Variate Method

This paper focuses on the influence of immersion time, concentration, and temperature on the formation process of copper stearate on the surface of copper sheet. One-step immersion and control variate method was adopted in this research to produce superhydrophobic surface on copper sheet. In the proposed method, pre-treated pure copper samples were immersed in stearic acid-ethanol solution with different concentrations (1, 2 and 3 g/ \(\ell \) ) for different durations (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 h) at different temperatures (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 ℃). A total of 108 superhydrophobic surfaces were prepared and investigated using this control variate method. The superhydrophobic surfaces were characterized and analyzed using scanning electron microscope, contact angle measuring instrument and fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The preparation of copper surface for superhydrophobic effect was found to be at optimal, when stearic acid concentration at 2 g/ \(\ell \) , immersion temperature at 60 ℃ and the immersion time of 90 min.