Figure 1

N-TiO₂/F-SiO₂ coated mesh surface morphology and evolution of water wettability under oil. (a) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of stainless steel (SS) 316 Twill Dutch weave mesh coated with N-TiO₂/F-SiO₂ (50 wt%). The inset shows a higher magnification SEM image of the mesh surface. (b) The measured apparent contact angles for water on the mesh surfaces coated with N-TiO₂/F-SiO₂ mixture with various N-TiO₂ concentrations (50 wt%, 75 wt%, and 100 wt%) that are submerged in an oil (n-hexadecane) bath as a function of submerging time. The inset images illustrate schematics of the time-dependent evolution of the water contact angles on a mesh surface submerged in oil. (c) The measured apparent contact angles for water on the mesh surfaces coated with N-TiO₂/F-SiO₂ mixture with various N-TiO₂ concentrations (50 wt%, 75 wt%, and 100 wt%) while being illuminated by visible light (Intensity (I) = 198 mW cm⁻²). Note that all meshes were precontaminated by oil for 600 min.