Preparation of superhydrophobic conductive CNT/PDMS film on paper by foam spraying method

Abstract

Paper-based materials are widely used in agriculture, industry and daily life because of their biodegradability, sustainability, biocompatibility and low cost. However, due to the hydrophilic nature of plant fibers in paper-based materials, the mechanical properties of paper will be reduced after absorbing water, thus limiting its application field. In this paper, carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) films with hydrophobicity and conductivity were prepared on filter paper by foam spraying method. Firstly, CNT and PDMS were added into water and stirred vigorously, and CNT/PDMS foam homogenate was prepared by foaming agent and stabilizer. Then, the homogenate was sprayed on the filter paper with a spray gun, and the multilevel rough structure was prepared on the paper. The results showed that the contact angle of the sample surface is greater than 150° when the spraying amount is 0.4-CNT, 0.6-CNT and 0.8-CNT, and the contact angle of 0.6-CNT is 156.33°, which is the largest. The drops on the surface of the sprayed sample have good bounce and self-cleaning performances. In addition, benefiting from the excellent conductivity of CNT, the particles composed of CNT and PDMS contact each other on the surface of the sample, forming a conductive network. The aforementioned properties will broaden the application scenarios of paper-based superhydrophobic materials.