Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have gained significant attention for their broad applicability in biomedical imaging, soft robotics, and catalysis owing to their exceptional magnetic properties and biocompatibility. A key challenge in maximizing their functionality lies in achieving a uniform size distribution and dispersity, alongside strong interfacial affinity with the surrounding medium that are essential for optimizing magnetic behavior and processibility. In this study, we present a facile solvothermal synthesis of monodisperse iron oxide NPs with tunable size and controllable surface hydrophobicity by varying precursors, capping agents, and solvents. By varying these synthesis parameters, we demonstrate a clear correlation between NP size, dispersity, and key magnetic properties, including saturation magnetization (MS) and coercivity (HC). This advancement in synthesis methodology offers a reliable, efficient approach for producing high-quality iron oxide NPs, which makes possible for practical use of them across a range of technological and biomedical applications.

An 80 nm thick zinc aluminate thin film was deposited on a glass substrate via radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering and heat treated to analyze changes in the wetting angles due to a surface modification. The thin films were modified from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by a simple thermal treatment. The surface modification from a heat treatment increased the wetting angles up to 111°, which was explained by the relationship with the excess surface area. The wetting angles of the annealed thin films decreased with increasing exposure time under ambient conditions, which was attributed to the oxygen vacancies in the films that were introduced during deposition. The annealed thin films were treated by ionized oxygen via oxygen plasma. After the oxygen plasma treatment, the decreased wetting angles were maintained at ~95° for 11 days.

An excellent hydrophobic surface has a high contact angle over 147 degree and the contact anglehysteresis below 50 was produced by using roughness combined with hydrophobic PTFE coatings, which were alsoconfirmed to exhibit an extreme adhesion to glass substrate. To form the rough surface, the glass was etched byAr-plasma. A very thin PTFE film was coated on the plasma etched glass surface. Roughness factors before orafter PTFE coating on the plasma etched glass surface, based on Wensel``s model were calculated, which agreeswell with the dependence of the contact angle on the roughness factor is predicted by Wensel``s model. The PTFEfilms deposited on glass by using a conventional rf-magnetron sputtering. The glass substrates were etchedAr-plasma prior to the deposition of PTFE. Their hydrophobicities are investigated for application as a anti-foulingcoating layer on the screen of displays. It is found that the hydrophobicity of PTFE films mainly depends on thesputtering conditions, such as rf-power, Ar gas content introduced during deposition. These conditions are closelyrelated to the deposition rate or thickness of PTFE film. Thus, it is also found that the deposition rate or the filmthickness affects sensitively the geometrical morphology formed on surface of the rf-sputtered PTFE films. Inparticular, 1,950-nm-thick PTFE films deposited for 30 minute by rf-power 50 watt under Ar gas content of 20sccm shows a very excellent optical transmittance and a good anti-fouling property and a good durability.

Super-hydrophobic properties have been achieved on the rf-sputtered polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) films deposited on etched aluminum surfaces. The microstructural evolution created after etching has been investigated by FESEM. The water contact angle over 160o can be achieved on the rf-sputtered ultra-tihn PTFE film less than 10 nm coated on aluminum surface etched with 7 wt.%, 12.5 wt.%, and 15 wt.% HCl concentration for 12 min. XPS analysis have revealed the presence of a large quantity of -CF3 and -CF2 groups in the rf-sputtered PTFE films that effectively can reduce the surface energy of etched aluminum. The presence of patterned morphology along with the low surface energy at the rf-sputtered PTFE coating makes the aluminum surface with high super-hydrophobic property.