Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Electropolymerization of Thiophene and Pyrrole Derivatives

Abstract

The electropolymerization of five-membered heterocycles like thiophene and pyrrole leads to the deposition of conductive and morphology-controlled films onto different kinds of electrodes. It involves many experimental parameters such as the chemical nature and concentration of the monomer and electrolyte, the solvent, the nature of electrode, the applied electrical conditions and the time considered. These electrosynthesis conditions determine to a large extent the structure, morphology and properties of the resulting polymer. By controlling them, it represents a straightforward method to obtain highly porous surfaces. The use of low surface energy alkyl or perfluoroalkyl chains together with the electropolymerization process allows the control of the two parameters that generally govern the wettability of a surface, i.e. the chemical composition and the microstructure of the surface, and affords an excellent method to reach very stable superhydrophobic surfaces with a low contact angle hysteresis.