Facile fabrication of a durable Ni3S2 nanorod arrays superhydrophobic surface with self-cleaning and degradation properties

Abstract

Inspired by nature, the fabrication of superhydrophobic surface has aroused an extensive concern. In this work, a Ni3S2 superhydrophobic coating was achieved via the cooperation of solvothermal reaction and followed chemical modification. The coating surface showed a distinct repellence of water droplets, and the contact angle and sliding angle are 165° and 3°, respectively. The energy disperse spectrometer, X-ray diffractmeter and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to confirm the Ni3S2 superhydrophobic surface had been achieved by the solvothermal reaction and chemical modification. The morphology of the coating surface was observed by scanning electron microscope. It was found that Ni3S2 nanorod arrays were uniformly distributed on the surface. The superhydrophobic surface with an outstanding self-cleaning property could prevent the substrate from being polluted by different forms of contaminants. It was verified that Methylene blue molecules could be destroyed by Ni3S2 superhydrophobic coating. More importantly, a reversible conversion of superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity could be achieved on the coating surface. Furthermore, the as-prepared coating could withstand mechanical and chemical damages. These excellent properties of Ni3S2 superhydrophobic surface are favorable for the application in oil-water separation and corrosion protection.