Production of fluorine-free hydrophobic thin films by pecvd method

Fluorinated chemicals are widely used in the production of hydrophobic thin films. However, concerns about the risks of these chemicals on the environment and human health continue to grow day by day. Therefore, it is important to develop alternative fluorine-free hydrophobic coating materials. Poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) (PEHA), with its long carbon chains, has a significant potential for the production of hydrophobic coatings. In this thesis, PEHA thin films were coated on the surfaces of different substrates by low temperature, one-step and environmentally friendly plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. The effects of reactor pressure, substrate temperature and plasma power on the deposition rate of PEHA thin film were investigated and the highest deposition rate was measured as 19.1 nm/min at 5°C substrate temperature, 30 W plasma power and 150 mTorr reactor pressure. Wetting, chemical and morphological properties of PEHA thin film were investigated. The PEHA thin film exhibited hydrophobic properties and the contact angle of the coated fabric with water was measured as 139.8°. The hydrophobicity of the PEHA thin film was also tested against various liquids used in daily life besides water. In addition, PEHA thin films showed excellent resistance to solvent resistance, washing and adhesion tests.