Effect of microstructure and surface roughness on the wettability of superhydrophobic sol–gel nanocomposite coatings

Sol–gel nanocomposite coatings were fabricated by spraying precursor mixtures containing hydrophobically modified silica (HMS) nanoparticles dispersed in sol–gel matrices prepared with acid-catalyzed tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS). The hydrophobicity of the coatings increased with increase in the concentration of HMS nanoparticles. Superhydrophobic coatings with water contact angle (WCA) of 166° and roll-off angle <2° were obtained by optimizing the sol–gel processing parameters and the concentration of silica nanoparticles in the coating. FESEM studies have shown that surface has a micro-nano binary structure composed of microscale bumps and craters with protrusions of nanospheres. The properties of composite coatings fabricated by spin coating and spray coating methods were compared. It was found that the microstructure and the wettability were also dependent on the method of application of the coating.     

喷涂法构筑二氧化硅纳米粒子涂层及其光学和润湿性质

采用Stöber方法,通过调节反应温度及乙醇和水的体积,合成了不同粒径的二氧化硅纳米粒子.以合成的粒径为20 nm的二氧化硅纳米粒子为原料,采用简单、方便的喷涂方法在玻璃片上构筑了纳米粒子涂层.在550 ℃煅烧二氧化硅纳米粒子涂层,增强了二氧化硅纳米粒子在玻璃片上的附着力.用1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-全氟辛基三乙氧基硅烷修饰之后,二氧化硅纳米粒子涂层的表面润湿性由亲水性转变为疏水性.通过喷涂法制备的二氧化硅纳米粒子涂层具有减反增透效果,当二氧化硅纳米粒子质量分数为0.48%、循环喷涂沉积数为3时,涂层在可见光范围内的最大透光率可达95.5%.用扫描电子显微镜观测涂层表面形貌发现,喷涂法制备的涂层是均匀的、可控的.喷涂技术构筑纳米粒子涂层具有简单快速、可大面积应用等优点.     

Designing superhydrophobic surface based on fluoropolymer–silica nanocomposite via RAFT‐mediated polymerization‐induced self‐assembly

Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) find versatile applications as coatings due to their very high water‐repellency, self‐cleaning, and anti‐icing properties. This investigation describes the preparation of a SHS from surfactant‐free hybrid fluoropolymer latex. In this case, reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was adopted to prepare a copolymer of 4‐vinyl pyridine (4VP) and vinyl triethoxysilane (VTES), where the pyridine units were quaternized to make the copolymer soluble in water. The copolymer was further used as a macro‐RAFT agent to polymerize 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) in a surfactant‐free emulsion via polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA). The macro‐RAFT agent contained a small amount of VTES as co‐monomer which was utilized to graft silica nanoparticles (SNPs) onto the P(TFEMA) spheres. The film prepared using the nanocomposite latex exhibited a nano‐structured surface as observed by SEM and AFM analyses. Surface modification of the film with fluorinated trichlorosilane produced an SHS with a water contact angle (WCA) of 151.5°. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 266–275     

One-pot sonochemical synthesis of superhydrophobic organic–inorganic hybrid coatings on cotton cellulose

Inspired by the surface structure of lotus leaves, different types of superhydrophobic cellulosic materials with contact angle (CA) of higher than 150° are currently provided. However, fabrication of these surfaces in a facile one-step coating process is one of the challenging issues. This paper describes a facile method to sonochemically synthesize superhydrophobic organic–inorganic hybrid coatings on cotton fabric by an alkaline-catalyzed co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate and alkyltrialkoxysilanes. The influence of alkyl chain length (methyl, octyl, hexadecyl) of silane and reaction time was investigated. Surface structure of the fabrics was investigated by SEM, EDS, FTIR spectroscopies, and reflectance spectrophotometry. Wettability properties were studied by measuring water CA, shedding angle (SHA) and resistance to wetting by a series of ethanol–water mixtures of different surface tensions. The results showed that the treated fabrics were coated with a homogeneous thin nano-scaled coating of hybrid silica nano-particles. The fabrics demonstrated CA of higher than 150°, SHA in the range of 6–24° and different stickiness to water droplets. The fabrics treated by silanes with longer alkyl chain length and at higher reaction time revealed better water repellency. The coatings were nearly transparent, could not affect the color of the fabrics and had high stability against repeated washing. In addition, mechanical properties of the fabrics were not substantially affected.     

Toward Superhydrophobic Polydimethylsiloxane−Silica Particle Coatings

Hydrophobized silica nanoparticles of different sizes, from 16 to 500 nm, were used to impart roughness to a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating with the aim of obtaining superhydrophobic properties. The particle silanization process and the curing process of the PDMS coating were optimized to increase the contact angle (CA) of the particle containing coating. The evaluation of the coatings, by means of water CA measurements and scanning electron microscopy imaging, shows that superhydrophobicity in the adhesive rose state was achieved using combinations of two differently sized particles, with an excess of the small 16 nm ones. Superhydrophobicity in the lotus state was obtained when the filler concentration of 16 nm particles was 40 wt%, but under such conditions the coating was found to partially crack, which is detrimental in barrier applications. The preference for the rose wetting state can be explained by the round shape of the particles, which promotes the superhydrophobic rose wetting state over that of the superhydrophobic lotus state.     

The effect of modifier concentration on the stability of emulsions and foams stabilized with colloidal silica particles

The stability of emulsions and foams stabilized with hexylamine-modified silica particles has been studied as depending on the concentration of the surfactant. Silica modification with short-chain hexylamine leads to a marked increase in the contact angle upon selective wetting and inversion of the phases in the emulsions. The contact angles upon wetting silica surface by aqueous phases are no larger than 60°, while the maximum stability of foams corresponds to contact angles of 38°–50° depending on the concentration of the solid particles.     

One-dimensional silicone nanofilaments

A decade ago one-dimensional silicone nanofilaments (1D-SNF) such as fibres and wires were described for the first time. Since then, the exploration of 1D-SNF has led to remarkable advancements with respect to material science and surface science: one-, two- and three-dimensional nanostructures of silicone were unknown before. The discovery of silicone nanostructures marks a turning point in the research on the silicone material at the nanoscale. Coatings made of 1D-SNF are among the most superhydrophobic surfaces known today. They are free of fluorine, can be applied to a large range of technologically important materials and their properties can be modified chemically. This opens the way to many interesting applications such as water harvesting, superoleophobicity, separation of oil and water, patterned wettability and storage and manipulation of data on a surface. Because of their high surface area, coatings consisting of 1D-SNF are used for protein adsorption experiments and as carrier systems for catalytically active nanoparticles.     

Preparation of perfluoro‐1,3‐propanedisulfonic acid/Nafion/silica hybrid nanoparticles—thermally stable Nafion in these silica hybrid nanoparticles even after calcination at 800 °C

Perfluoro‐1,3‐propanedisulfonic acid (PFPS)/Nafion/silica hybrid particles were prepared by the sol–gel reactions of PFPS with tetraethoxysilane and silica nanoparticles in the presence of Nafion under alkaline conditions. These obtained composites exhibited a good dispersibility and stability in not only water but also traditional organic media such as methanol, ethanol, 1,2‐dichloroethane, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethyl sulfoxide. Dynamic light scattering measurements and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy show that these hybrid particles are nanometer size‐controlled fine particles before and even after calcination at 800 °C. Nafion/silica hybrid nanoparticles were also prepared in the absence of PFPS under similar conditions. The weight of original Nafion markedly dropped around 350 °C and decomposed gradually, reaching 0% around 450 °C, and Nafion in the Nafion/silica nanocomposites exhibited a similar weight loss behavior to that of the original one. However, Nafion/PFPS/silica hybrid nanoparticles were found to exhibit no weight loss corresponding to the contents of Nafion and PFPS in the silica gel matrices even after calcination at 800 °C. It was demonstrated that the pH value (3.77 at 25 °C) of Nafion/PFPS/silica hybrid nanoparticles after calcination is smaller than that (5.66 at 25 °C) before calcination, and this hybrid nanoparticles exhibited a higher proton conductivity (5.8 × 10^?3 S/cm at 85 °C) than that (4.1 × 10^?3 S/cm at 85 °C) before calcination. In addition, Nafion/PFPS/silica hybrid nanoparticles after calcination at 800 °C were applied to the Friedel‐Crafts acylation of thiophene with acetic anhydride to give the expected 2‐acetylthiophene, of whose yield was similar to that before calcination under similar conditions. These findings suggest that Nafion in PFPS/silica hybrid nanoparticle cores should exhibit a nonflammable characteristic even after calcination at 800 °C to act as an effective acid catalyst. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1869–1877     

Aqueous Emulsions of Polysyloxane Polyblock Copolymers as a Basis for Weatherproof Protective Coatings

On the way to solving the problem of developing an ecofriendly technology for preparing hydrophobic protective coatings to replace the existing technology involving casting from polymer solutions in toxic organic solvents, amphiphilic organosilicon oligomers, promising emulsifiers for preparing aqueous emulsions of organosilicon polymers, were synthesized. The synthesized oligomers were used to obtain stable aqueous emulsions of a film-forming silicone block copolymer. The resulting emulsions can be used to form hydrophobic protective coatings on the surface of construction materials. It was shown that the contact angle of wetting depends on the specific features of the preparation of the emulsion and reaches a maximum of 134°.     

Controlled Microsynthesis of Silica Particles in a Microfluidic Setup

We report on a novel microsynthesis method for easy controlling the size of silica micro- and nanoparticles. Colloids are synthesized in a microfluidic chamber by layer-wise adsorption of silica to precipitated nuclei. We prepare samples of spherical particles with different numbers of coatings and find that particles with less than 15 coating layers are uniform in size. Particles with more coatings are disperse. This finding is attributed to peptization of nanoparticles and independent growth of secondary nanoparticles. For all numbers of layers, the maximum particle size increases with the number of coatings.     

喷涂法制备功能性超疏水复合涂层及其性能研究

以常用工程材料硅树脂BP与St(o)ber法合成的二氧化硅(SiO2)分散液为原料,运用喷涂法(spray-coating)制备出了功能性微/纳粗糙(MNR)结构的超疏水涂层,其接触角可以达到146.5°,滚动角小于1°(测试液滴量为15μL).通过分析喷涂法制备复合涂层所需的条件,得出喷涂液pH＝7.7-8.0时,在...     

二氧化硅纳米颗粒/硅树脂复合超疏水功能涂层的制备和性能研究

将二氧化硅纳米颗粒和硅树脂制成混合液,采用喷涂法(spray-coating)制备出了具备超疏水性的复合涂层.研究了二氧化硅、硅树脂不同含量配比对涂层疏水性能的影响,结果表明复合涂层的接触角随二氧化硅含量的增加而增加.在二氧化硅含量大于3%(质量分数)时,涂层显现超疏水性;当二氧化硅含量为3%(质量分数)、硅树脂含量为7%(质量分数)时,涂层与水的接触角达到151.6°,滚动角接近0°.通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察涂层表面的微观结构,发现超疏水性的涂层具备微-纳复合阶层结构,类球状突起粒径在5μm左右,类球状突起上分布纳米团聚颗粒,直径约为50 nm.这种类似荷叶表面的微(纳复合阶层结构,结合硅树脂的低表面能,使得复合涂层具备了超疏水性能.     

Polysilazane as the source of silica: the formation of dense silica coatings at room temperature and the new route to organic–inorganic hybrids

Xylene solutions of perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) were used as the coating solutions for preparing silica coatings at room temperature. The PHPS-to-silica conversion was achieved by exposing the spin-on coatings to the vapor from aqueous ammonia. In order to examine the significance of the mechanical properties of the PHPS-derived silica coatings, the pencil hardness was measured, which was compared with that of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)-derived silica coatings. The pencil hardness was over 9H at a load of 1 kg, which was much higher than that of the TEOS-derived silica gel films, and was comparable to that of the TEOS-derived films heat treated at 300 °C. Second, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)–silica hybrid coatings were prepared from xylene solutions of PMMA and PHPS via exposure to the vapor from aqueous ammonia. Crack-free, optically transparent PMMA–silica hybrid coatings could be prepared, where PHPS-to-silica conversion was confirmed by infrared absorption spectroscopy. The refractive index was around 1.42–1.50, and the contact angle with water increased from 35 to 70° with increasing PMMA content. The pencil hardness greatly increased during the PHPS-to-silica conversion, and was much higher than that of the non-heat treated TEOS-derived hybrid coatings. The durability in tetrahydrofuran (THF) was also evaluated by measuring the reduction in thickness occurring during soaking in THF. The durability decreased with increasing PMMA content, but was much higher than that of the non-heat treated TEOS-derived hybrid coatings. Both the hardness and the durability were comparable to those of the TEOS-derived coatings heated at 300 °C. The hybrid coatings could also be deposited on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates, where no cracks were observed at high PMMA contents even when the substrate was bent.     

Facile fabrication of hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres for superhydrophilic and visible/near-IR antireflection coatings

A series of hierarchically mesostructured silica nanoparticles (MSNs) less than 100 nm in size were fabricated by means of a one-step synthesis using dodecanethiol (C(12)-SH) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the dual template, and trimethylbenzene (TMB) as the swelling agent. Silica nanoparticles with varied morphologies and structures, including mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable pore size, mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin solid shell, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable cavity size, and hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin solid shell, were obtained by regulating the TMB/CTAB molar ratio and the stirring rate with the assistance of C(12)-SH. Silica particulate coatings were successfully fabricated by using MSNs with varied morphologies and structures as building block through layer-by-layer dip-coating on glass substrates. The thickness and roughness of the silica particulate coatings could be tailored by regulating the deposition cycles of nanoparticles. The silica particulate coatings composed of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a thin shell (S2) increased the maximum transmittance of slide glass from 90 to 96%, whereas they reduced its minimum reflection from 8 to 2% at the optimized wavelength region that could be adjusted from visible to near-IR with a growing number of deposition cycles. The coatings also exhibited excellent superhydrophilic and antifogging properties. These mesostructured silica nanoparticles are also expected to serve as ideal scaffolds for biological, medical, and catalytic applications.     

Preparation of superhydrophobic electroconductive graphene-coated cotton cellulose

A simple and versatile method based on cotton cellulose coated with graphene is reported for the fabrication of superhydrophobic and electroconductive textiles. Graphene oxide was deposited on cotton fibers by a dip-pad-dry method followed by reduction with ascorbic acid to yield a fabric with a layer of graphene. The fabric was then reacted with methyltrichlorosilane to form polymethylsiloxane (PMS) nanofilaments on the fibers surface. The surface chemistry and morphology were characterized by UV–visible reflectance spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The water contact angle (CA)/shedding angle (SHA) and resistivity measurements were used for assessing hydrophobicity and conductivity, respectively. The graphene-coated fabric showed hydrophobicity with the CA of 143.2° ± 2.9° and SHA of 41°. The formation of PMS nanofilaments displayed superhydrophobicity with CA of 163° ± 3.4° and SHA of 7°, which indicated the self-cleaning ability. Conductivity of the graphene-coated fabric was confirmed by the electrical resistivity of 91.8 kΩ/sq which increased to 112.5 kΩ/sq after the formation of PMS nanofilaments.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Colloidal Nanobowls and Hybrid Multipod‐like Nanoparticles by Radiation Miniemulsion Polymerization

A facile approach is proposed to one‐pot synthesis of two kinds of nanoparticles: a new type of PS nanobowls (a hole appearing at the bottom of nanobowl) and PS/silica hybrid multipod‐like nanoparticles. The two type of nanoparticles generated together during polymerization could be separated easily by centrifugation. Furthermore, the structure of nanobowls could be easily controlled by the weight ratio of monomer/silica. In addition, we find that the multipod‐like nanoparticles play important roles in hydrophobic properties. The water contact angle increased from 24.0° to 143.3° after coated with the multipod‐like nanoparticles.

     

Highly transparent superhydrophobic thin film with low refractive index prepared by one-step coating of modified silica nanoparticles

An easy and effective method to prepare superhydrophobic thin film has been developed. The film with optically transparent and low refractive index was composed by one-step coating with modified silica nanoparticles. The silica nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel process of hydrolysis and condensation of alkoxysilane compounds and then surface modification silica nanoparticles, 50 ± 10 nm, were accomplished using methoxytrimethylsilane (MOTMS). Water contact angle of film increased with the weight of MOTMS of silica sol. When the weight of MOTMS was optimized, the water contact angle and sliding angle of film were 152.8° and less than 10°, respectively. The transmittance of film was also increased as compared to the un-coated microscope glass slide, from 91 to 93.5 %. The refractive index of the film was approximately 1.09 as measured by ellipsometer. The superhydrphobic thin film was also successfully made by using spray coating and the water contact angle of this film was more than 160°. Surface morphology of difference coating methods, dip and spray, were studied. Our result suggests that the film can be applied for superhydrophobicity and optical applications.     

聚酯织物表面耐用超疏水涂层的制备及在油水分离中的应用

使用在含有甲基MQ(M:单官能团Si-O单元R₃SiO_1/2, Q:四官能团Si-O单元SiO₂)硅树脂与疏水SiO₂的二甲苯溶液中浸渍的方法,在聚酯织物表面制备了耐用超疏水涂层。经过处理后,微米级聚酯纤维表面被紧密的疏水纳米颗粒包裹,通过这种方法降低了纤维的表面能。聚酯织物展现出良好的超疏水特性,与水滴的静态接触角为156°,滚动角为5°。得到的超疏水聚酯织物在机械磨损、酸碱环境及紫外线照射条件下,表现出了良好的稳定性。此外,用超疏水聚酯织物作为过滤材料得到的油水分离效率达99%以上。该方法为大面积工业制备超疏水织物提供了新的思路。     

In-situ growth of silica nanoparticles on cellulose and application of hierarchical structure in biomimetic hydrophobicity

Monodispersed silica nanoparticles were prepared by a simple two-step method with hydrolysis and condensation. The materials were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), SEM and TEM. Through in-situ growth of silica nanoparticles on cotton fabrics, a dual-scaled surface with nanoscaled roughness of silica and microscaled roughness of cellulose fiber was generated. After the modification of the low surface energy, the wettability of smooth silicon slide, silicon slide with nanoscaled roughness of silica particles, cotton fabric, and cotton fabric with silica particles was evaluated by the tests of the contact angle (CA) and the advancing and receding contact angle (ARCA). The cotton fabric with dual-scaled roughness exhibits a static CA of 149.8° for 4 μL water droplet and a hysteresis contact angle (HCA) of 1.8°. The results of CA and HCA show that microscaled roughness plays a more important role than nanoscaled roughness for the value of CA and HCA. The results in the hydrostatic pressure test and the rain test show the important contribution of nanoscaled roughness for hydrophobicity.     

Superhydrophobic conducting coatings based on silicone matrix and carbon nanotubes

Preparation of superhydrophobic conducting coatings based on silicone matrix and two types of carbon nanotubes, native and modified with alkyl groups, is described. The amount of carbon nanotubes per unit surface area was kept constant in all the samples, whereas the content of the polymer matrix was varied. The electrical conductivity, contact angle, and sliding angle were measured. The structure of the coatings was studied with an optical profilometer and a scanning electron microscope. The largest contact angle was 158.4° for the sample with 50 wt % content of native carbon nanotubes. For the samples with more than 20 wt % content of carbon nanotubes of both types, the sliding angle was less than 1°. Changes in the micro- and nanostructure of the coatings, observed with variation of the content of the polymer matrix in the samples, were studied. The relationship between the structural changes, on the one hand, and hydrophobic and water sliding properties of the conducting coatings, on the other hand, was demonstrated.