Xiaoying Lu

One step preparation of superhydrophobic polymeric surface with polystyrene under ambient atmosphere

Brassica oleracea-like polymer surface is facilely fabricated by one-step casting process using amorphous polystyrene (PS) under ambient atmosphere. The obtained coatings show excellent superhydrophobicity and only possess unitary micro-scale structure, similar to the natural brassica leaf. In addition, a simple topography analysis also roughly verifies superhydrophobic structure of branched and intermingled sticks and bumps. This process provides a fairly easy procedure for preparing superhydrophobic surface from common plastics. Moreover, it demonstrates that the micro/nano-binary structure is not necessary for superhydrophobicity, while unitary micro-scale structure for a polymer surface can exhibit outstanding water repellency as natural lotus.

A Simple Approach for Fabricating a Superhydrophobic Surface Based on Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with flower-like structures were prepared by controlling the aminolysis reaction of surface ester groups and the surface morphology of PMMA. The effects of the aminolysis time and the processing temperature in stearic acid solution on the surface wettability and surface morphology were examined in detail. The combination of rough surface morphology and the presence of hydrophobic carbon chains on the top layer was responsible for the superhydrophobicity.