3,4-Dialkoxypyrrole for the Formation of Bioinspired Rose Petal-like Substrates with High Water Adhesion.

Abstract

Self-organization is commonly present in nature and can lead to the formation of surface structures with different wettabilities. Indeed, in nature superhydrophobic (low water adhesion) and parahydrophobic (high water adhesion) properties exist, such as in lotus leaves and red roses, respectively. The aim of this work is to prepare parahydrophobic properties by electrodeposition. For this, pyrrole derivatives with two alkoxy groups of various lengths (from 1 to 12) were synthesized in 8 steps by adapting a method developed by Merz et al. We show that the alkyl chain length has a huge influence on the polymer solubility and as a consequence on the surface morphology and hydrophobicity. Moreover, the alkyl chain length should be at least greater than eight carbons in order to obtain parahydrophobic properties. The properties are also controlled by the electrolyte nature. These materials can be used for many potential applications in water harvesting and transportation and separation membranes.