Surface wettability of thin liquid films using vertical ultrasonic vibration-assisted coating technology

Abstract Recently, film coatings have found various applications in the manufacture. Such coatings can confer corrosion resistance and affect wettability, imparting hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity. Especially, mechanical vibration can be used to impart surface coatings that control wettability. In this study, the numerical simulation model was first constructed using multi-physics commercial program. With the simulation model, the position of maximum velocity as functions of several vibration parameters was revealed. To explore surface wettability experimentally, the samples were fabricated with various viscosity. And while curing the samples, high-frequency vibrations were applied to the liquid films. Through the measurement of the fabricated samples, the relationship between surface roughness and wavelength were derived. Surface roughness was inversely proportional to a 1/4 order of the surface wavelength squared, and inversely proportional to the 5/24 order of the input frequency. And the surface wavelength was proportional to the 1/2 order of viscosity and inversely proportional to the 1/2 order of the frequency. The equations predicted the experimental data well. Finally, the first equation was derived governing wettability modification via vertical, ultrasonic vibration-assisted coating. The experimental results matched the derived equation (errors less than 5%).