UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

The properties of hydrophobic surfaces have been of recent interest due to their applications in cookware and automotive components. The wetting properties of surfaces usually have an effect on the frictional forces due to the surface roughness of a material and the degree of wetting it creates. Non-stick in cookware has been used because it is easier to clean, cook, heats the food evenly, and requires less oil each time it's used which makes it a healthy alternative. For the cookware the necessity arises from users not wanting food or debris to stick to their surfaces and the automotive necessity arises from the need of car parts to maintain their tolerances in order for them to function properly. This study aims to explore the surface chemistry properties of cast iron in these applications where we measure contact angles between water molecules, observe the microstructure, and measure frictional and adhesion forces to a grey cast iron sample with deposited oil layer. Our main goal is to design and quantify the hydrophobic properties of a cast iron surface.