Issue 36, 2018

Efficiently texturing hierarchical superhydrophobic fluoride-free translucent films by AACVD with excellent durability and self-cleaning ability

Abstract

Translucent and superhydrophobic glass surfaces were fabricated by one-step deposition of a composite from the precursors, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition. A raspberry-like hierarchical structure was obtained due to the nanoparticles being decomposed by the TEOS precursor and deposited around the micro-scale particles formed by the hydrolysis of the PDMS precursor. In this work, a translucent and superhydrophobic film was prepared by using optimized parameters (T: 290–330 °C, deposition time: 15–30 min) and the resulting water contact angle and sliding angle were >160° and <1°, respectively. It was found that there were 9 bounce cycles when water droplets were dropped onto such surfaces. Superior robustness was observed against tape-peeling, and on exposure to UV light (365 nm, 3.7 mW cm−2, 72 h) and to a large pH range (pH = 1–14, 72 h). The mechanical robustness was also examined and the results demonstrated that the film loses its superhydrophobicity when abraded for 5 meters with coarse sandpaper. The self-cleaning test demonstrated that the superhydrophobic surface could shed various contaminants and aqueous dyes, leaving a clear surface behind. This novel method can be applied to various substrates, including flexible (fabric and copper mesh) and rigid materials (copper block). This can provide a new, rapid and facile route for producing large-scale samples with multifunctional applications.

Graphical abstract: Efficiently texturing hierarchical superhydrophobic fluoride-free translucent films by AACVD with excellent durability and self-cleaning ability

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Jun 2018
Accepted
17 Aug 2018
First published
23 Aug 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 17633-17641

Efficiently texturing hierarchical superhydrophobic fluoride-free translucent films by AACVD with excellent durability and self-cleaning ability

S. Li, K. Page, S. Sathasivam, F. Heale, G. He, Y. Lu, Y. Lai, G. Chen, C. J. Carmalt and I. P. Parkin, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 17633 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA05402A

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