2011/10/19 by Dimitrios P. Papageorgiou, Elias P. Koumoulos, Papageorgiou, Dimitrios P. +7
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Biosensors and Analytical Detection #Electrowetting and Microfluidic Technologies #FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1110.4238
arxiv created 2011/10/19 · openalex publication_date 2011/10/19 · arxiv updated 2011/10/20 · openalex created_date 2022/10/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Thin dielectric stacks comprising a main insulating layer and a hydrophobic top coating are commonly used in low voltage electrowetting systems. However, in most cases, thin dielectrics fail to endure persistent electrowetting testing at high voltages, namely beyond the saturation onset, as electrolysis indicates dielectric failure. Careful sample inspection via optical microscopy revealed possible local delamination of the top coating under high electric fields. Thus, improvement of the adhesion strength of the hydrophobic top coating to the main dielectric is attempted through a plasma-deposited fluorocarbon interlayer. Interestingly enough the proposed dielectric stack exhibited a) resistance to dielectric breakdown, b) higher contact angle modulation range, and c) electrowetting cycle reversibility. Appearance of electrolysis in the saturation regime is inhibited, suggesting the use of this hydrophobic dielectric stack for the design of more efficient electrowetting systems. The possible causes of the improved performance are investigated by nanoscratch characterization.