In this thesis, a direct method of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique has been developed to measure the adhesion forces between BSA and two different surfaces: mica (a hydrophilic surface); and polystyrene (a hydrophobic surface); in PBS solution. We have shown possible to measure interactions between proteins and substrate surface directly without any modification to the substrate and the AFM tip; this means protein molecules can keep the natural elastic property within the force measurements. The average measured value of adhesion forces between BSA and mica is 0.036 ± 0.002 nN, and between BSA and polystyrene is 0.066 ± 0.003 nN. The polystyrene surface is more adhesive to BSA than the mica surface. This is consistent with previous research, which assessed that hydrophobic surfaces enhance protein adhesion but hydrophilic surfaces do not.

It was investigated characteristics of surfaces of offset printing plates. A method of measurement of wetting angle was improved and there were investigated the wetting characteristics of hydrophilic surfaces of offset printing plates and their dependence on dampening solution and on printed run. Experimentally investigated 16 offset printing plates. Wetting angle increases with the run. Surface roughness was investigated using profilograph. Changes of surface roughness during printing were determined and it was found that during printing quantity of bigger over 1 µm irregularities increases.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:15:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jorge Batista - resumo.pdf: 37444 bytes, checksum: 8f8f7a4b6f5f96a5fc6085e5128c66c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The control of surface wettability is an issue of great scientific interest because of the large number of applications both as hydrophobic to hydrophilic surfaces, such as medical instruments, fluidic microdevices, coating for microdevices, manipulation of nanoparticles, microscale motors, lubricants, waterproofing surfaces and even instruments for domestic use. The objectives of this work are to compare the values obtained in experiments with surfaces of well-defined topography with available theoretical models and characterize the transition between hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces with the proposition of configurations and criteria that lead to a better understanding of the wettability and superhydrophobic surfaces production, in the light of the energy minimization. / O controle da molhabilidade de superfícies é um tema de grande interesse científico em função da grande quantidade de aplicações, tanto para superfícies hidrofílicas quanto hidrofóbicas, como é o caso de instrumentos médicos, microdispositivos fluídicos, recobrimento para microdispositivos, manipulação de nanopartículas, motores em microescala, lubrificantes, impermeabilização de superfícies e mesmo em instrumentos de uso doméstico. Os objetivos deste trabalho são comparar os valores obtidos em experimentos com superfícies de topografia bem definida com os modelos teóricos disponíveis e caracterizar a transição entre superfícies hidrofóbicas e superhidrofóbicas, com a proposição de configurações e critérios que levem a um melhor entendimento da molhabilidade e da produção de superfícies superhidrofóbicas, sob a luz da minimização de energia.

Icing is an important problem, which often leads to emergency situations in northern countries. The reduction of icing requires a detailed understanding of this process. In this work, we report on a systematic investigation of the effects of geometry and chemical properties of surfaces on the formation of an ice layer, its properties, and thawing. We compare in detail icing and ice thawing on flat and rough hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. We also show advantages and disadvantages of the surfaces of each kind. We demonstrate that water condenses in a liquid form, leading to the formation of a thin continuous water layer on a hydrophilic surface. Meanwhile, separated rounded water droplets are formed on hydrophobic surfaces. As a result of slower heat exchange, the freezing of rounded water droplets on a hydrophobic surface occurs later than the freezing of the continuous water layer on a hydrophilic one. Moreover, growth of ice on hydrophobic surfaces is slower than on the hydrophilic ones, because ice grows due to the condensation of water vapor on already formed ice crystals, and not due to the condensation on the polymer surface. Rough hydrophobic surfaces also demonstrate a very low ice adhesion value, which is because of the reduced contact area with ice. The main disadvantage of hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces is the pinning of water droplets on them after thawing. Flat hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol)-modified surfaces also exhibit very low ice adhesion, which is due to the very low freezing point of the water–poly(ethylene glycol) mixtures. Water easily leaves from flat hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol)-modified surfaces, and they quickly become dry. However, the ice growth rate on poly(ethylene glycol)-modified hydrophilic surfaces is the highest. These results indicate that neither purely (super)hydrophobic polymeric surfaces, nor ‘‘antifreeze’’ hydrophilic ones provide an ideal solution to the problem of icing.