This book aims at identifying novel advanced materials of extreme wetting properties (MEWP) for practical, industrial applications. The state-of-the art superhdyrophobic, superhdyrophilic, superoleophobic, superoleophilic, and superomniphobic materials, that are MEWP, with respect to their technological and emerging industrial applications are discussed in this book. MEWP offer new perspectives providing numerous potential applications. Hence, these advanced MEWP have the potential to lead to a new generation of products and devices with unique properties and functionalities. Despite the large scientific progress on MEWP there are still some obstacles which have to be solved to make these materials available for real life applications. Recent advances on the production strategies, including methods and materials, of MEWP has shown that the durability and sustainability obstacles can be addressed thus offering the possibility for industrial exploitation. MEWP with wettabilities ranging from superhydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity provide promising avenues for several and important applications, which sometimes are crucial for the humankind. This book also discusses a large variety of other potential applications of MEWP, thus providing new ideas to scientists and engineers for further exploitation of these novel materials. Moreover, the whole spectrum of the recent technological developments, current research progress, future outlook, and the modern trends in the applications of MEWP are discussed in a consistent approach.

Materials of extreme wetting properties have received significant attention, as they offer new perspectives providing numerous potential applications. Water- and oil-repellent surfaces can be used, for instance, in the automobile, microelectronics, textile and biomedical industries; in the protection and preservation of constructions, buildings and cultural heritage; and in several other applications relevant to self-cleaning, biocide treatments, oil–water separation and anti-corrosion, just to name a few. The papers included in this book present innovative production methods of advanced materials with extreme wetting properties that are designed to serve some of the abovementioned applications. Moreover, the papers explore the scientific principles behind these advanced materials and discuss their applications to different areas of coating technology.

A comprehensive and systematic treatment that focuses on surfaces and interfaces phenomena inhabited in biomimetic superhydrophobic materials, offering new fundamentals and novel insights. As such, this new book covers the natural surfaces, fundamentals, fabrication methods and exciting applications of superhydrophobic materials, with particular attention paid to the smart surfaces that can show switchable and reversible water wettability under external stimuli, such as pH, temperature, light, solvents, and electric fields. It also includes recent theoretical advances of superhydrophobic surfaces with regard to the wetting process, and some promising breakthroughs to promote this theory. As a result, materials scientists, physicists, physical chemists, chemical engineers, and biochemists will benefit greatly from a deeper understanding of this topic.

Gives a comprehensive description on the biological model, basic physical models, fabrication/characterization of bioinspired materials and their functions.

Superhydrophobic surfaces, artificially mimicking lotus leaves, have captured the attention of scientists and engineers over the past few decades. Recent trends have shifted from superhydrophobicity to superominipohobicity, or superamphiphobicity. In addition, dynamic rather than static surface wetting/dewetting properties, which can be triggered by various stimuli, including temperature, pH, magnetic/electric fields, solvents, light exposure etc, have been highly sought after for commercial applications. This book will focus on recent topics related to various stimuli-responsive wetting/dewetting surfaces, and give an overview of the knowledge and concepts of how to design and establish these smart artificial surfaces, which can be used for technical developments in a wide variety research fields.

Progress of thermodynamics has been stimulated by the findings of a variety of fields of science and technology. The principles of thermodynamics are so general that the application is widespread to such fields as solid state physics, chemistry, biology, astronomical science, materials science, and chemical engineering. The contents of this book should be of help to many scientists and engineers.

Wettability at the solid/liquid interface, its dynamics, tunability, the influence of operating parameters, surface and interfacial phenomena play an increasingly significant role in a wide variety of applications, for example, material processing, nanotechnology, oil recovery, oil spills, chemical leaching, water management, and disease transmission. Although a mature field, it is experiencing dramatic developments on several fronts with emerging applications in new fields. This book presents a collection of eight chapters on nanoscale wetting phenomena, oil extraction from reservoir rocks, the role of coatings, particle morphology, surface roughness and viscosity in metal processing, and practical applications of superhydrophobic behaviour in cell culturing, isolation, anti-icing, anti-reflective and anti-corrosion coatings in the transportation and optical devices fields.

Focusing on a variety of coatings, this book provides detailed discussion on preparation, novel techniques, recent developments, and design theories to present the advantages of each function and provide the tools for better product performance and properties. • Presents advantages and benefits of properties and applications of the novel coating types • Includes chapters on specific and novel coatings, like nanocomposite, surface wettability tunable, stimuli-responsive, anti-fouling, antibacterial, self-healing, and structural coloring • Provides detailed discussion on recent developments in the field as well as current and future perspectives • Acts as a guide for polymer and materials researchers in optimizing polymer coating properties and increasing product performance

Composite materials are used as substitutions of metals/traditional materials in aerospace, automotive, civil, mechanical and other industries. The present book collects the current knowledge and recent developments in the characterization and application of composite materials. To this purpose the volume describes the outstanding properties of this class of advanced material which recommend it for various industrial applications.

Sol–gel technology is a contemporary advancement in science that requires taking a multidisciplinary approach with regard to its various applications. This book highlights some applications of the sol–gel technology, including protective coatings, catalysts, piezoelectric devices, wave guides, lenses, high-strength ceramics, superconductors, synthesis of nanoparticles, and insulating materials. In particular, for biotechnological applications, biomolecules or the incorporation of bioactive substances into the sol–gel matrix has been extensively studied and has been a challenge for many researchers. Some sol–gel materials are widely applied in light-emitting diodes, solar cells, sensing, catalysis, integration in photovoltaic devices, and more recently in biosensing, bioimaging, or medical diagnosis; others can be considered excellent drug delivery systems. The goal of an ideal drug delivery system is the prompt delivery of a therapeutic amount of the drug to the proper site in the body, where the desired drug concentration can be maintained. The interactions between drugs and the sol–gel system can affect the release rate. In conclusion, the sol–gel synthesis method offers mixing at the molecular level and is able to improve the chemical homogeneity of the resulting composite. This opens new doors not only regarding compositions of previously unattainable materials, but also to unique structures with different applications.