Electrospun polystyrene coatings with tunable wettability

Abstract

ABSTRACTHydrophobic materials with tunable wettability were developed by electrospinning aligned polystyrene (PS) fibers onto the surface of a unimorph composite piezoelectric substrate. An electric field was used to modify the curvature of the substrate resulting in a corresponding change in the morphology of the electrospun coating. Contact angle measurements were performed on droplets deposited onto the surface before and after application of the electric field. The water droplet contact angle was observed to change in response to the applied voltage. Contact angle measurements were performed as a function of surface fiber density and suggest that the change in contact angle is caused by a transition from Wenzel to Cassie–Baxter wetting. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41592.