Abstract
A hydrophobic surface has been fabricated on aluminum by two-step surface treatment processes consisting of structure modification and surface coating. Nature inspired micro nano scale structures were artificially created on the aluminum surface by a blasting and Ar ion beam etching. And a hydrophobic thin film was coated by a trimethylsilane ($(CH_3)_3SiH$) plasma deposition to minimize the surface energy of the micro nano structure surface. The contact angle of micro nano structured aluminum surface with the trimethylsilane coating was $123^{\circ}$ (surface energy: 9.05 $mJ/m^2$), but the contact angle of only trimethylsilane coated sample without the micro nano surface structure was $92^{\circ}$ (surface energy: 99.15 $mJ/m^2$). In the hydrophobic treatment of aluminum surface, a trimethylsilane coated sample having the micro nano structure was more effective than only trimethylsilane coated sample without the micro nano structure.
