A non-fluorinated mechanochemically robust volumetric superhydrophobic nanocomposite

• 作者: E.Vazirinasab G.Momen R.Jafari
• 来源期刊: 材料科学技术（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（7）
• 页码范围: 213-225
• 页数: 13页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

The widespread use of water-repellent superhydrophobic surfaces is limited by the inherent fragility of their micro-and nanoscale roughness,which is prone to damage and degradation.Here,we report a non-fluorinated volumetric superhydrophobic nanocomposites that demonstrate mechanochemical robustness.The nanocomposites are produced through the addition ofmicroscale diatomaceous earth and nanoscale fumed silica particles to high-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber.The water-repellency of the surface and bulk of nanocomposites having 120 phr of filler was determined based on the water contact angle and contact angle hysteresis.We compared the water-repellency of nanocomposites of differing diatomaceous earth to fumed silica mass ratios.Increasing the amount of diatomaceous earth enhanced the water-repellency of the nanocomposite surface,whereas an increased amount of fumed silica improved the water-repellency of the bulk material.Moreover,increasing the diatomaceous earth/fumed silica mass ratio improved the cross-linking density and hardness values of the nanocomposite.Despite being subjected to a range of mechanical durability tests,including sandpaper abrasion,knife scratching,tape peeling,water jet impact,and sandblasting,the nanocomposite maintained a water contact angle of 163° and contact angle hysteresis of 2°.When the water-repellency of the prepared nanocomposites eventually deteriorated,we restored their superhydrophobicity by removing the upper surface of the nanocomposite.This extraordinary robustness stems from the embedded low surface energy micro/nanostructures distributed throughout the nanocomposite.We also demonstrated the chemical stability,UV resistance,and self-cleaning abilities of the nanocomposite to illustrate the potential for real-life applications of this material.