Methods of altering the surface energy of components of a mesh nebulizer and mesh nebulizers formed thereby

A method of altering surface energy of one or more components of a mesh nebulizer, comprising:

• a) depositing a metal surface layer on surfaces of the component, wherein the metal surface layer comprises one or more of silver, gold, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, tantalum, aluminum, copper, titanium, iron, chromium, alloys thereof, and oxides thereof;
• b) forming a hydrophobic coating layer comprising an organo-silicon or a self-assembled monolayer of an organophosphorus acid directly on the metal surface layer or indirectly on the metal surface layer through an intermediate organometallic coating, wherein the hydrophobic coating layer has terminal functional groups that are capable of initiating polymer growth when exposed to a source of polymerizable monomer;
• and
• c) forming a polymeric coating layer chemically bonded to and propagated from the terminal functional groups on the hydrophobic coating layer on select areas of the components.

A mesh nebulizer comprising a reservoir and a dispensing device that comprises a microarray of microchannels, wherein the reservoir and dispensing device are configured to allow a fluid to flow from the reservoir through the dispensing device and exit the dispensing device as an aerosol, and wherein the reservoir and dispensing device comprise:

• 1) an interior surface;
• 2) an exterior surface that opposes the interior surface;
• 3) a metal surface layer applied to the interior and exterior surfaces and comprising one or more of silver, gold, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, tantalum, aluminum, copper, titanium, iron, chromium, alloys thereof, and oxides thereof;
• and
• 4) a hydrophobic coating layer comprising an organo-silicon or a self-assembled monolayer of an organophosphorus acid, adhered to the metal surface layer on the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the reservoir and dispensing device, wherein the hydrophobic coating layer is adhered to the metal surface layer either directly or indirectly through an intermediate organometallic coating.