A self-modification approach toward transparent superhydrophobic glass for rainproofing and superhydrophobic fiberglass mesh for oil⿿water separation

Abstract

A method employing one kind of material both for the construction of rough morphology and the chemical modification is called self-modification by us, which has not been reported in fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces so far. In this paper, taking candle soot as an intermediate, we created rough, superhydrophilic and transparent surfaces on glass trough calcination of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at 550°C. Subsequently, a novel chemical vapour deposition (CVD) modification was conducted by heating PDMS at 330°C in air to give the surfaces a water contact angle (WCA) of 170°±0.5° and a sliding angle (SA) of 0°. This CVD modification is expected to be a valuable way of modification because of its simple operation, low cost and short time consumption. Results indicate that the high temperature calcination and the moderate temperature CVD modification can drastically improve the stability of the surperhydrophobic surfaces through controlling the morphology and the surface chemical composition. The as-prepared glass surfaces are capable of bearing heavy rains, keeping the sight clear in the rain and being used at a high temperature (<400°C) or in water. Besides, superhydrophobic fiberglass mesh was prepared and applied in oil⿿water separation.