Synthesis of Superhydrophobic Metal Coating Based on Nanostructured ZnO Thin Films in One Step: Effect of Solvents

In this work, ZnO thin film is prepared by spraying a solution of zinc acetate precursor prepared with different solvents, namely, methanol, ethanol and distilled water at optimized conditions for aluminum substrate temperature and solution concentration. The impact of different solvents on the structural and hydrophobic properties of ZnO thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and a Profilometer-Roughness Tester. The morphology of the elaborated ZnO thin films is spherical shaped nanostructured decorated by textures such as bumps (coexistence of ZnO micro-nanostructures). The results confirm that the different solvents used to prepare the ZnO thin films have a significant impact on the characteristics of these layers and the wettability study reveals that the surface of ZnO thin film prepared with distilled water is superhydrophobic.