Abstract
The present work reports a simple and effective way to produce hydrophobic foams with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and TiO2 by using a phase separation technique. This method involved the phase separation during the deposition of PVDF from its DMF solution with nonsolvent water in the presence of TiO2. The surface morphology of hydrophobic surfaces was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The maximum water contact angle of 129° was observed. The results confirm that the surface texture of polymer composite exhibits mixture of microporous and nanoporous structure. The impact of TiO2 on the wettability property of polymer composite has been studied. The proposed methodology might find applications in the preparation of hydrophobic surfaces for industrial applications.
Highlights
The excellent water repellent surface is exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower
We continually focus on the fabrication of hydrophobic composite surface using TiO2 and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) by the phase separation method
We have discussed a facile approach for preparing hydrophobic surface using titanium dioxide as additive materials with nano- and microporous roughness and low surface tension in one step by the phase separation method
Summary
The excellent water repellent surface is exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. These leaves are superhydrophobic; that is, water drops roll over, taking any impurities with it. Many artificial methods have been developed to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces using techniques such as electrodeposition, plasma etching, laser treatment, sol-gel method, and solution immersion method. Phase separation method is an important technique for development of super hydrophobic surfaces [2, 3]. In this method, the product should be separated into a different phase from everything else that is present in the final reaction mixture. The phase separation method is the simplest method compared to the other methods mentioned above and the ease in forming large area and strong superhydrophobic coatings [4]
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