Abstract
In this work, polymeric fibers of polystyrene (PS) with incorporated ZnO nanoparticles have been deposited onto an aluminum alloy substrate (6061T6) by using the electrospinning technique. In order to optimize the deposition process, the applied voltage and flow rate have been evaluated in order to obtain micrometric electrospun fibers with a high average roughness and superhydrophobic behavior. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has also been employed in order to corroborate the amount of ZnO incorporated into the electrospun fibers, whereas differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been performed in order to determine the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymeric electrospun fibers. In addition, a specific thermal treatment (Tg + 20 °C) of the synthesized electrospun fibers has been evaluated in the resultant corrosion resistance. A comparative study with previously reported results corresponding to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fibers is carried out along this paper to show the changes in behavior due to the different compositions and fiber diameters. The coating has produced an important reduction of the corrosion current of the aluminum substrate in two orders of magnitude, showing also an important enhancement against pitting corrosion resistance. Finally, this deposition technique can be used as an innovative way for the design of both superhydrophobic and anticorrosive surfaces in one unique step over metallic substrates with arbitrary geometry.
Highlights
The two main experimental factors that directly affect the resultant surface wettability are the surface chemical composition which controls the surface free energy and the microstructure, affecting the microscopic roughness [1].According to this first point, most of the approaches are based on the incorporation of fluorine groups in the outer surface because these functional groups can effectively cause a lower surface free energy [2,3,4].As for the second point, two main wetting models (Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter) are used to explain of the effect of surface textures on the non-wettability which is directly associated to the microscopic rough surface [5]
In the Wenzel mechanism the liquid totally punctures the roughness channels [6], whereas in the Cassie-Baxter mechanism the surface superhydrophobicity is associated to the air trapped underneath the liquid inside the grooves [7,8]
Coatings 2019, 9, 367 complete study that include electrospun coatings made of polyamide (PA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polycarbonate (PC), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polystyrene (PS) [9]
Summary
The two main experimental factors that directly affect the resultant surface wettability are the surface chemical composition (presence the functional groups with water repellent behavior) which controls the surface free energy and the microstructure, affecting the microscopic roughness [1].According to this first point, most of the approaches are based on the incorporation of fluorine groups in the outer surface because these functional groups can effectively cause a lower surface free energy [2,3,4].As for the second point, two main wetting models (Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter) are used to explain of the effect of surface textures on the non-wettability which is directly associated to the microscopic rough surface [5]. The two main experimental factors that directly affect the resultant surface wettability are the surface chemical composition (presence the functional groups with water repellent behavior) which controls the surface free energy and the microstructure, affecting the microscopic roughness [1]. According to this first point, most of the approaches are based on the incorporation of fluorine groups in the outer surface because these functional groups can effectively cause a lower surface free energy [2,3,4]. This study is limited to static conditions, we recognize that the complete characterization of the wettability should include the study of dynamic contact angles, as well as the investigation of the role played by the real contact surface and the contact border which can be relevant according to recent studies [10,11,12,13]
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