Synthesis of Superhydrophobic and Thermally Stable Metal Oxide Nanowires

Abstract

AbstractSuperhydrophobic materials, particularly those with high thermal stability, are critically important. Traditional polymer‐based superhydrophobic materials are not sufficiently stable to work at relatively high temperatures. Herein we have developed a facile approach to synthesize superhydrophobic inorganic ceramics by silane chemical functionalization to metal oxide nanowires to form metal‐oxygen‐silicon chemical bonds via a silane vapor coating technique. The very high thermally stable superhydrophobic materials have generated and can maintain a superhydrophobic surface at temperatures as high as 390 °C, 490 °C and 500 °C for K2‐xMn8O16, ZnO and TiO2 metal oxide nanowires, respectively. Once the temperature point is exceeded, the superhydrophobic surface becomes superhydrophilic and but can be switched back to superhydrophobic by a silane vapor coat, indicating a reversible surface property.