Transparent superhydrophobic coating for copper metal and study of surface morphology and antimicrobial characteristics

Nowadays, copper is a widely used metal worldwide for various applications such as electronic materials, electrical circuits, ornamentals and decorative applications. Copper is widely known for its antimicrobial properties. Despite this fact, it is found to be susceptible to biocorrosion. To protect the copper metal from biocorrosion, hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticles were prepared by the sol gel process. The Prepared sol solution was characterized by Particle size analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared spectroscopy. Modified silica nanoparticles coated on the copper substrate to obtain superhydrophobic surface. Surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive microscopy (EDX) and atomic force microscopy analysis (AFM). Wettability and antimicrobial activity of the copper surface were also studied. The average particle size was found to be 96 nm and the formation of silica nanoparticle in the sol was also confirmed by IR spectra. The Contact angle of coated copper was found 163.3˚compared to 66.6˚ of uncoated copper surface which confirms the superhydrophobic behavior of the coated surface. The presence of nanostructured surfaces was responsible for superhydrophobic behavior which was confirmed by SEM and AFM studies. The coated copper showed excellent antimicrobial characteristics against E-coli.