Surfaces rendered self-cleaning by hydrophobic structures, and process for their production

US6852389B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Creavis Gesellschaft fuer Technologie und Innovation mbH · DE

Inventors

• Edwin Nun · Billerbeck, DE
• Markus Oles · Hattingen, DE
• Bernhard Schleich · Recklinghausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 12, 2002
• Grant date: Feb 8, 2005
• Expiry date: Sep 1, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/26
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A self-cleaning surface which has an artificial, at least partially hydrophobic, surface structure containing elevations and depressions, which comprises a surface having structure-forming particles, which are formed of hydrophobic, fumed silica, adhered thereto by way of fixative particles applied to the surface, whereby the structure-forming particles and the fixative particles have elevations and depressions ranging in dimensions of 1 to 1000 nm and the particles themselves having an average size of less than 50 μm, the particles providing said surface structure of elevations and depressions, wherein, by incipient melting of the fixative particles, only partial melting of the fixative particles occurs which is sufficient to bond the structure forming particles without substantial wetting of the particles by the fixative particles to said surface while retaining, the fissured structure of the structure-forming particles in the nanometer range.