Balamurali Balu

Bio: Balamurali Balu is an academic researcher from Georgia Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Contact angle & Plasma etching. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 9 publications receiving 796 citations.

Fabrication of “Roll-off” and “Sticky” Superhydrophobic Cellulose Surfaces via Plasma Processing

Abstract: Most of the artificial superhydrophobic surfaces that have been fabricated to date are not biodegradable, renewable, or mechanically flexible and are often expensive, which limits their potential applications. In contrast, cellulose, a biodegradable, renewable, flexible, inexpensive, biopolymer which is abundantly present in nature, satisfies all the above requirements, but it is not superhydrophobic. Superhydrophobicity on cellulose paper was obtained by domain-selective etching of amorphous portions of the cellulose in an oxygen plasma and subsequently coating the etched surface with a thin fluorocarbon film deposited via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using pentafluoroethane as a precursor. Variation of plasma treatment yielded two types of superhydrophobicity : "roll-off" (contact angle (CA), 166.7 degrees +/- 0.9 degrees ; CA hysteresis, 3.4 degrees +/- 0.1 degrees ) and "sticky" (CA, 144.8 degrees +/- 5.7 degrees ; CA hysteresis, 79.1 degrees +/- 15.8 degrees ) near superhydrophobicity. The nanometer scale roughness obtained by delineating the internal roughness of each fiber and the micrometer scale roughness which is inherent to a cellulose paper surface are robust when compared to roughened structures created by traditional polymer grafting, nanoparticle deposition, or other artificial means.

Patterning of superhydrophobic paper to control the mobility of micro-liter drops for two-dimensional lab-on-paper applications

Abstract: Superhydrophobic paper substrates were patterned with high surface energy black ink using commercially available desktop printing technology. The shape and size of the ink islands were designed to control the adhesion forces on water drops in two directions, parallel (‘drag-adhesion’) and perpendicular (‘extensional-adhesion’) to the substrate. Experimental data on the adhesion forces shows good agreement with classical models for ‘drag’ (Furmidge equation) and ‘extensional’ adhesion (modified Dupre equation). The tunability of the two adhesion forces was used to implement four basic unit operations for the manipulation of liquid drops on the paper substrates: storage, transfer, mixing and sampling. By combining these basic functionalities it is possible to design simple two-dimensional lab-on-paper (LOP) devices. In our 2D LOP prototype, liquid droplets adhere to the porous substrate, rather than absorbing into the paper; as a result, liquid droplets remain accessible for further quantitative testing and analysis, after performing simple qualitative on-chip testing. In addition, the use of commercially available desktop printers and word processing software to generate ink patterns enable end users to design LOP devices for specific applications.

Tunability of the Adhesion of Water Drops on a Superhydrophobic Paper Surface via Selective Plasma Etching

Abstract: We report the fabrication of a sticky superhydrophobic paper surface with extremely high contact angle hysteresis: advancing contact angle ∼150° (superhydrophobic) and receding contact angle ∼10° (superhydrophilic). In addition, we report the controlled tunability of the contact angle hysteresis from 149.8 ± 5.8° to 3.5 ± 1.1°, while maintaining superhydrophobicity, as defined through an advancing contact angle above 150°. The hysteresis was tuned through the controlled fabrication of nano-scale features on the paper fibers via selective plasma etching. The variations in contact angle hysteresis are attributed to a transition of the liquid–surface interaction from a Wenzel state to a Cassie state on the nano-scale, while maintaining a Cassie state on the micro-scale. Superhydrophobic cellulosic surfaces with tunable stickiness or adhesion have potential applications in the control of aqueous drop mobility and the transfer of drops on inexpensive, renewable substrates.

Robust Superhydrophobic Surfaces Prepared With Epoxy Resin and Silica Nanoparticles

Abstract: When nanoparticles are incorporated into surfaces to generate roughness, adhesion of the particles is critical to achieve a durable superhydrophobic surface. In this investigation, we explored the use of bis-phenol A based epoxy and silica nanoparticles to form a composite layer on substrates. After an plasma treatment of the surface layer, the epoxy was etched away and silica nanoparticles exposed on the surface, thereby generating roughness. The plasma etching time was examined to correlate the resulting surface morphology and water droplet contact angles after a fluoroalkyl silane treatment. Surface mechanical stability was studied by an abrasion test. Water vapor condensation on the surface was also assessed by investigation of the contact angle, which offers insight into the applicability of the surfaces to use under hot and humid conditions where degradation of the superhydrophobic surfaces may occur.

Bioinspired Surfaces with Superwettability: New Insight on Theory, Design, and Applications

Abstract: Design, and Applications Shutao Wang,†,‡ Kesong Liu, Xi Yao, and Lei Jiang*,†,‡,§ †Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interface Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and ‡Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, BeiHang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong P6903, People’s Republic of China

Amphiphilic Egg-Derived Carbon Dots: Rapid Plasma Fabrication, Pyrolysis Process, and Multicolor Printing Patterns

Abstract: Carbon-based photoluminescent nanoparticles have recently received increased interest, owing to their favorable optical properties along with their biocompatibility and low toxicity. Such nascent nanomaterials, the so-called carbon dots (CDs or C-dots), are a promising alternative to more toxic metal-based semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) for applications such as bioimaging. Recent advances in the synthesis of CDs allow them to be formed from fine carbon structures (like graphene and multi-wall carbon nanotubes) by topdown methods, or from chemical precursors (like ammonium citrate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) by bottom-up approaches. Typically, these CDs require surface oxidation and/or further passivation to emit fluorescence, which also makes them hydrophilic. Alternatively, some one-step strategies to fabricate surface-passivated CDs have also been shown. We reported a one-step synthesis of multicolor CDs from pyrolysis of epoxy-enriched polystyrene photonic crystals and their potential for use in light-emitting diodes. Herein, we present a simple and rapid strategy to fabricate CDs from cheap and natural carbon sources and further extend their application as printing “inks”. The fluorescent CDs developed herein have the following notable characteristics: 1) one-step generation in minutes from low-cost, natural, edible chicken eggs by plasma-induced pyrolysis; 2) good amphiphilicity with high solubility in a broad range of aqueous and organic solvents; 3) resistance to acids and bases; 4) versatile applications as fluorescent carbon inks for luminescent patterns. Figure 1 shows the fabrication of egg-derived fluorescent CDs and their application as “inks” for luminescent patterns using inkjet or silk-screen printing. We chose chicken eggs as the starting material to maintain low toxicity and affordability of the final product. Low-temperature plasma with highenergy, inherently charged particles (electrons or cations) and excited neutral species was used to create an active chemical environment for the synthesis of the nanostructures. As shown in Figure 1, the egg was separated into egg white and egg yolk, using an egg-separator, prior to use. A glass dish filled with egg white or yolk was placed between two quartz slides (height= 1.5 cm) of the plasma generator. Subsequently, intense and uniform plasma beams generated from the upper electrode (voltage= 50 V, current= 2.4 A) irradiated the egg samples for 3 min to yield dark black products, referred to as CDpew and CDpey for the plasma-treated egg white and yolk, respectively. The yield of CDs from the egg sample was calculated to be approximately 5.96%. Elemental analysis showed an increase in the carbon content of the products (62.42% for CDpey and 56.75% for CDpew) in comparison to that of the starting material (57.55% for egg yolk and 43.50% for egg white), implying carbonization occurs during the plasma treatment (Supporting Information, Table S1). Significantly, solutions of CDpew and CDpey display bright blue fluorescence under UV light (lex= 302 nm). Figure 2 shows high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images of the CDs. CDpey had uniform dispersion without apparent aggregation and a mean particle diameter (Dp) of 2.15 nm (Figure 2a and Figure S2). Detectable rings in the selected-area electron-diffraction (SAED) pattern revealed the crystalline structure of CDpey (Figure 2a inset). Well-resolved lattice fringes with an interplanar spacing of 0.208 nm were observed (Figure 2b), which is close to the (100) facet of graphite. On the other hand, CDpew was well distributed (Dp= 3.39 nm) and appeared Figure 1. Digital photographs of plasma-induced fabrication of eggderived CDs and their application as fluorescent carbon inks. Egg white or yolk, after a few minutes of plasma treatment under ambient conditions, were transformed into well-defined CDs with bright blue emission under UV light. The CD solutions can also be used as inks for making luminescent patterns by inkjet or silk-screen printing.

Bioinspired super-antiwetting interfaces with special liquid-solid adhesion.

Abstract: Super-antiwetting interfaces, such as superhydrophobic and superamphiphobic surfaces in air and superoleophobic interfaces in water, with special liquid-solid adhesion have recently attracted worldwide attention. Through tuning surface microstructures and compositions to achieve certain solid/liquid contact modes, we can effectively control the liquid-solid adhesion in a super-antiwetting state. In this Account, we review our recent progress in the design and fabrication of these bioinspired super-antiwetting interfaces with special liquid-solid adhesion. Low-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces are biologically inspired, typically by the lotus leaf. Wettability investigated at micro- and nanoscale reveals that the low adhesion of the lotus surface originates from the composite contact mode, a microdroplet bridging several contacts, within the hierarchical structures. Recently high-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces have also attracted research attention. These surfaces are inspired by the surfaces of gecko feet and rose petals. Accordingly, we propose two biomimetic approaches for the fabrication of high-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces. First, to mimic a sticky gecko's foot, we designed structures with nanoscale pores that could trap air isolated from the atmosphere. In this case, the negative pressure induced by the volume change of sealed air as the droplet is pulled away from surface can produce a normal adhesive force. Second, we constructed microstructures with size and topography similar to that of a rose petal. The resulting materials hold air gaps in their nanoscale folds, controlling the superhydrophobicity in a Wenzel state on the microscale. Furthermore, we can tune the liquid-solid adhesion on the same superhydrophobic surface by dynamically controlling the orientations of microstructures without altering the surface composition. The superhydrophobic wings of the butterfly (Morpho aega) show directional adhesion: a droplet easily rolls off the surface of wings along one direction but is pinned tightly against rolling in the opposite direction. Through coordinating the stimuli-responsive materials and appropriate surface-geometry structures, we developed materials with reversible transitions between a low-adhesive rolling state and a high-adhesive pinning state for water droplets on the superhydrophobic surfaces, which were controlled by temperature and magnetic and electric fields. In addition to the experiments done in air, we also demonstrated bioinspired superoleophobic water/solid interfaces with special adhesion to underwater oil droplets and platelets. In these experiments, the high content of water trapped in the micro- and nanostructures played a key role in reducing the adhesion of the oil droplets and platelets. These findings will offer innovative insights into the design of novel antibioadhesion materials.