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Photoinduced superhydrophilicity : a kinetic study of time dependent photoinduced contact angle changes on TiO 2 surfaces

Solar-induced hyperwettability on titania-coated materials such as self-cleaning glass is the subject of international controversy. Does it arise from: surface photo-reconstruction; or material self cleaning revealing inherently wet surfaces? This work’s originality and rigour lie in deriving the first quantitative model of hyperwettability dynamics, and applying it to a wide range of literature and in-house hyperwettability data. Significantly, results show hyperwettability is due to self-cleaning, so limiting its switchability and wider use in e.g. hyperwettability-controlled microfluidics. Funded by Oxley Ltd through EPSRC CASE 07001076, findings were the subject of a plenary to the UK Semiconductor Photochemistry Network , Belfast, 2013.