Superhydrophilicity on microstructured titanium surfaces via a superficial titania layer with interconnected nanoscale pores

Abu Samah Zuruzi, Yong Hwee Yeo, Adam J Monkowski, Chang Song Ding and Noel C MacDonald



Microstructured titanium (Ti) surfaces often suffer from poor hydrophilicity which makes the realization of open microfluidic devices difficult. Here, we investigate the effect of a superficial porous titania (TiO 2 ) layer on the hydrophilicity of microstructured surfaces. High aspect ratio Ti micropillars were micromachined from bulk Ti sheets. Porous TiO 2 was subsequently grown on Ti micropillars by a wet oxidation route followed by thermal annealing. Porous TiO 2 was characterized using atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Detailed morphology study and pore size analysis were carried using focused ion beam machining coupled with scanning electron microscopy. Static contact angle and dynamic spreading studies clearly demonstrate enhanced hydrophilicity of microstructured Ti surfaces with a superficial porous TiO 2 layer. Such enhancement promises interesting applications in the microfluidics an...



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