In this work, the changes in surface roughness and thickness of particles have been investigated after coating with polymers that result in hydrophobicity after a given time period. The study fundamentally investigates the evolution of these surface properties from the instant the particles are coated. Six chemical agents have been used on near-spherical glass beads and the changes in surface profiles monitored. Surface roughness was quantified using the power spectral density method and the surface thickness of the coatings was determined by a new technique which involved calculating the change in the representative radius of asperity. Results showed that the coating process altered the surface roughness and thickness of particles irrespective of chemicals used. The time-dependency of the coating process is illustrated and it was observed that fluctuations in both surface roughness and thickness lessened after a time period of 30 min. Depending on the chemical agent used, either an overall roughening or softening was recorded at 60 min and the values of surface thickness showed increases between 71 and 256 nm. By analyzing the evolution of surface roughness and thickness at the particle level following coating, this study demonstrated the intricate link between surface properties and chemistry in inducing functional properties on particles.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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聚合物涂层石英砂表面粗糙度和厚度的时间变化

在这项工作中，研究了在给定时间段后产生疏水性的聚合物涂覆后颗粒表面粗糙度和厚度的变化。该研究从根本上研究了从颗粒被涂覆的那一刻起这些表面特性的演变。在近球形玻璃珠上使用了六种化学试剂，并监测了表面轮廓的变化。使用功率谱密度法量化表面粗糙度，并通过计算粗糙体代表半径的变化的新技术确定涂层的表面厚度。结果表明，无论使用何种化学品，涂层过程都会改变颗粒的表面粗糙度和厚度。说明了涂覆过程的时间依赖性，并观察到表面粗糙度和厚度的波动在 30 分钟后减少。根据所使用的化学试剂，在 60 分钟时记录到整体粗糙化或软化，并且表面厚度值显示在 71 至 256 nm 之间增加。通过分析涂层后颗粒水平上表面粗糙度和厚度的演变，本研究证明了表面特性和化学在诱导颗粒功能特性方面的复杂联系。

图形概要