Research on the selective adhesion characteristics of polydimethylsiloxane layer

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a widely used inexpensive, non-toxic material which has many advantages. But it is generally considered that PDMS does not adhere to the other substrates without the special treatments due to its low surface energy. However, in this paper, it is the first time that we found that the PDMS adhered on the silicon dioxide substrate to form an adhesive layer only by the routine cast molding process. The mechanism of the PDMS adhesion on the silicon dioxide substrate during the process was illustrated in detail. The smooth, thin, transparent, hydrophobic and selective PDMS adhesion layer can be used as a functional coating to improve the special performances of the micro/nano devices. Finally, as an example, a facile approach is proposed to realize the superhydrophobic surfaces by combining the SiO2 microstructure with the PDMS adhesion layer.