Hydrophobic Surface Research Articles

Formation of Superhydrophobic Coatings Based on Dispersion Compositions of Hexyl Methacrylate Copolymers with Glycidyl Methacrylate and Silica Nanoparticles.

In the last decade, the task of developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods for obtaining stable superhydrophobic coatings has become topical. In this study, we examined the effect of the concentrations of filler and polymer binder on the hydrophobic properties and surface roughness of composite coatings made from organic-aqueous compositions based on hexyl methacrylate (HMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) copolymers. Silicon dioxide nanoparticles were used as a filler. A single-stage "all-in-one" aerosol application method was used to form the coatings without additional intermediate steps for attaching the adhesive layer or texturing the substrate surface, as well as pre-modification of the surface of filler nanoparticles. As the ratio of the mass fraction of polymer binder (Wn) to filler (Wp) increases, the coatings show the lowest roll-off angles among the whole range of samples studied. Coatings with an optimal mass fraction ratio (Wn/Wp = 1.2 ÷ 1.6) of the filler to polymer binder maintained superhydrophobic properties for 24 h in contact with a drop of water in a chamber saturated with water vapor and exhibited roll-off angles of 6.1° ± 1°.

Glycerol-silica/chitosan conjugated self-assembled nano-flower framework for Herstulla thompsoni delivery with effectiveness in natural settings: Optimization and pilot scale production

Hirsutulla thompsoni (HTS) is an entomopathogenic fungus (EPF), a secure and efficient substitute for synthetic insecticides. However, its susceptibility to degradation in conventional formulations limits its practical use for agricultural practices. In light of current setbacks, this work proposes using a glycerol-silica/chitosan nanoflower gel (NFG) as an efficient delivery system to enhance the efficacy of HTS. Inspired by glycerol-silica-chitosan conjugation, NFG self-assembles into flowers. The HTS-loaded nanoflower gel (HTS_NFG) features a flower-shaped morphology, an average size of 232 nm, and a zeta potential of +31.84mv. The laboratory-scale NFG is optimized with ingredients and process factors using multivariate principal component analysis (PCA), which progressed to pilot size 10 kg/shift. The notable foliage retention attributable to chitosan and lower contact angle was achievable on the hydrophobic leaf surface. The result of foliage retention and contact angle obtained showed a significant effect of NFG (p < 0.05). HTS_NFG was comparatively safer towards Chlorella spp. algae and Artemia salina, significant from other treatments (p < 0.05). Field efficacy evaluation demonstrated that the NFG was as effective as the reference sample against aphids. With its proven effectiveness, the NFG may be an aesthetic, sustainable, and feasible alternative for agro-production.

Multiscale simulation of water/oil displacement with dissolved CO[formula omitted]: Implications for geological carbon storage and CO[formula omitted]-enhanced oil recovery

This study combines molecular and pore-scale simulations to enhance our understanding of water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and oil flow in a porous system for high-efficiency geological carbon storage and enhanced oil recovery. We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the variation of interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, and contact angle across varying system CO2 concentrations. The study reveals that the IFT simulation accuracy in the three-component mixture system relates positively to the volume-to-interfacial area ratio, and IFT decreases with CO2 concentration. Oil–CO2 mixture viscosity decreases and shows an intersection with water viscosity as CO2 concentration increases. The contact angle on the hydrophobic surface of kaolinite first increases and then decreases with CO2 concentration, while the hydrophilic surface contact angle is not sensitive to the CO2 concentration. Visualizing CO2 density distribution reveals its accumulation at fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interfaces and the combined effect results in the highest CO2 density at contact-line regions. Meanwhile, the elevated CO2 density at fluid-fluid interfaces reduces IFT, contributing to the initial contact angle increase, while the CO2 density increase at fluids-solid surface explains the subsequent contact angle decrease. These findings are then upscaled into a core-scale system using lattice Boltzmann simulations. The results are summarized into a phase diagram, which reveals the non-monotonic variations of the initial-residual (I-R) curves across different CO2 concentrations, and the residual saturation overall decreases with CO2 concentration for high initial saturations. These findings underscore the critical roles of system CO2 concentration and rock components, particularly kaolinite clay minerals, in subsurface multiphase seepage confronted in geological carbon storage and CO2-enhanced oil recovery, highlighting the importance of digital rock physical chemistry.

Recyclable VOCs-free eutectic adhesive based on hydrogen bond fusion strategy with robust adhesion, flame retardancy, transparency, high durability, and low-temperature resistance

Although emerging supramolecular adhesives have addressed the challenge of traditional adhesives in terms of de-bonding through non-covalent interactions, they still face issues such as high synthetic difficulty, elevated costs, and inadequate adhesion strength, particularly under low temperatures. Additionally, achieving robust adhesion to low-energy hydrophobic surfaces remains a persistent challenge. This paper proposes a novel hydrogen bond fusion strategy to address these challenges, presenting the synthesis of a new HCX eutectogel, containing intramolecular fused hydrogen bonds and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. This approach enables the attainment of high-strength adhesion on both hydrophilic (up to 10.61 MPa) and hydrophobic (up to 4.87 MPa) substrates. Notably, the HCX eutectogel stands out for its ability to maintain stable adhesion performance at low temperatures (−80 °C & liquid nitrogen) and its extraordinary flame retardancy and recyclability. These findings contribute novel insights into the development of high-performance adhesives with multifunctionality, promising advancements in diverse applications.

A Review on the Utilization of Epicuticular Wax from Plant Samples as a Hydrophobic Surface Coating Agent

A Review on the Utilization of Epicuticular Wax from Plant Samples as a Hydrophobic Surface Coating Agent

Synthesis of zinc hydroxyl acetate nanosheet-assembled honeycomb-like and flower-like structures by chemical bath deposition method for the construction of hydrophobic surfaces

Layered zinc hydroxyl acetate (LZHA) nanosheet-assembled honeycomb-like and flower-like structures were synthesized by a chemical bath deposition method using aqueous zinc acetate solution as the bath solution and a porous ZnO coating as the substrate. The morphology of LZHA architectures growing on the surface of the substrate depends on the type of LZHA nucleation. The homogeneous nucleation facilitates the adsorption of crumpled LZHA nanosheets generated in the solution onto the substrate surface, whereas heterogeneous nucleation promotes the formation of flat LZHA nanosheets on the substrate surface. The crumpled and flat LZHA nanosheets serving as the seeds undergo cyclic “growth-division” processes to evolve into LZHA nanosheet-assembled honeycomb-like and flower-like structures, respectively. The hierarchical architecture features of the LZHA honeycombs and flowers can be topologically inherited without any crack and collapse when converted into ZnO by calcination. The LZHA honeycomb-like and Ag nanoparticle modified ZnO flower-like structures were characterized by a scanning electron microscope, field-emission scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer. The synthesized ZnO honeycomb-like and flower-like structures show excellent hydrophobic properties owning to the appropriate roughness provided by the hierarchical structures. In particular, the surface assembled by ZnO honeycombs derived from their LZHA precursors with deposition time of 4 h shows a higher water contact angle of 162.3°. In addition, the Ag nanoparticle modification on the petals of ZnO flowers results in the formation of multi-scale rough surfaces, and thus increases the water contact angle. The synthesized superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit promising applications in fields such as anti-icing, anti-corrosion and reducing fluidic drag.

Differences in protein hydrolysis on quality of fermented milk: The changes in structure and processing characteristics

The functions and sensory properties of fermented dairy products are influenced by numerous factors, including the type of milk, the strain's degree of protein hydrolysis, and the additives of fermented milk. Currently, a large number of studies have demonstrated that the proteolytic ability of probiotics significantly affects the gel properties of fermented milk. However, few studies have examined the effects of probiotics with varying proteolytic abilities on the functions and sensory properties of fermented dairy products from the protein conformation perspective. Therefore, this study screened Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS1.8701 with a high protein hydrolysis rate and Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS1.0633 with a low hydrolysis rate to investigate the effects of varying degrees of protein hydrolysis on the gel properties, sensory properties and protein conformation of fermented milk. The results showed that the fermented milk containing Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS1.0633 with a low protein hydrolysis degree had high WHC, hardness and viscosity, a dense and uniform structure, abundant pores, and good texture and sensory properties. In addition, compared with fermented milk with high protein hydrolysis, low protein hydrolysis also increased the content of disulfide bonds, low surface hydrophobicity, and more hydrophilic structures such as a-helix. This study explains the impact of differences in protein hydrolysis degree among strains on fermented milk from a new perspective of protein secondary and tertiary conformations, which provides new insights for selecting suitable strains to produce fermented milk with better taste and nutrition.

Deciphering the mechanism underlying poor aqueous solubility of extracted quinoa proteins

This study aimed to decipher the mechanisms underlying poor solubility of quinoa proteins by investigating the form of quinoa proteins dispersed in water and how protein-protein interactions influenced the kinetic stability of proteins in the dispersions. Specifically, the relative solubility and the forms of quinoa proteins in 1–5 w/w% protein dispersions were determined by separating proteins via centrifugation and/or ultrafiltration. The kinetic stability of quinoa proteins in the supernatants over a 3-week storage period was characterized by determining the changes of concentration, composition and physicochemical properties of quinoa proteins and predicting protein-protein interactions. The results showed that quinoa proteins existed mainly as differently-sized protein aggregates in the dispersions, leading to low relative solubility. The coagulation of protein aggregates in the supernatants caused severe precipitation during the first week of storage whereas they were disassociated simultaneously. With further storage, the remaining proteins in the supernatants reached kinetic stability, which was contributed by stronger electrostatic repulsion and lower surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, 11S globulin and 2S albumin were precipitated and solubilized together during storage, which was ascribed to intermolecular interactions driven by multiple sites between 11S globulin and/or 2S albumin. This study lays a foundation for extensive utilization of quinoa proteins.

Structural and functional properties of proteins isolated from four species of microalgae and their application in air-water interface stabilization

Herein, we extracted proteins from four microalgae: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CHR), Euglena gracilis (EUG), Spirulina platensis (SPP), and Spirulina maxima (SPM). Subsequently, their physicochemical and functional properties, as well as air-water interface adsorption behavior were investigated. Results demonstrated that the solubility and emulsifying properties of these proteins were significantly affected by pH, with minimum values observed near their isoelectric point (3.5) and maximum values at pH 11.0. Interestingly, the emulsifying properties of the four proteins were superior to soy protein isolate in the pH range of 3.0–7.0, indicating that these microalgae proteins may be suitable for applying as emulsifiers in foods. EUG exhibited the highest water/oil binding capacity, emulsifying activity, and emulsifying stability, which were attributed to its high surface hydrophobicity and β-sheet content, as well as small particle size. Dynamic adsorption behavior analysis illustrated that EUG showed faster diffusion and rearrangement rates, as well as a higher final equilibrated surface pressure value, contributing to its highest foaming capacity and foaming stability. This study greatly enhances the understanding of microalgae proteins and is expected to establish a theoretical foundation for developing novel protein resources that can be utilized in the foamed and emulsion-based food fabrication, including whipped cream and functional beverages.

Photocatalytic rice bran protein/carboxymethyl cellulose/ZrO2 fiber produced by microfluidics: Formation mechanism, bacteriostasis and strawberry preservation

Developing cost-effective and environmentally sustainable active packaging materials remains an important challenge. We have developed rice bran protein (RBP)-based fibers incorporating carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and ZrO2 nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs, 0 %–7 %, m/m) using microfluidic spinning. The integration of RBP, CMC, and ZrO2 NPs formed a robust hydrogen bond network that enhanced the fibers' thermal stability and crystallinity, reduced surface hydrophobicity, and aligned the molecular orientation. Under the catalysis of visible light (300 W, 12 h), ZrO2 NPs in the fiber produced reactive oxygen species, which inhibited the oxidative stress resistance system of Bacillus subtilis and destroyed its biofilm and DNA, thus showing excellent antibacterial effect. Additionally, during storage, this fiber also showed the ability to scavenge ethylene, thereby reducing the rate of loss of luminance, hardness and weight of strawberries. This study offers a new idea for RBP fiber in food preservation, antibacterial, and value-added utilization of rice bran by-products.

Preparation and characteristics of zein/ethyl cellulose composite coating applied in aqueous system

Zein and ethyl cellulose (EC) were used as raw materials to prepare a composite coating applied in aqueous systems with mechanical properties, water stability, water solubility (including room-temperature (RT)/high-temperature and neutral/acidic conditions), and oil resistance as evaluation index. Results showed the most suitable conditions were mass ratio of zein/EC at 1:9, 93 % (v/v) aqueous ethanol, oleic acid as the plasticizer with the amount of 0.3 g/g, and curing temperature at 70 °C. Under these conditions, the tensile strength of composite coating was 4.61 MPa and elongation at break was 21.60 % after 4 weeks of soaking in water. Oil seepage was not observed within 1 week. The water solubility of coating in neutral water was 5.13 % at RT for 24 h, and 3.79 % at 80 °C for 2 min; in acidic water (pH = 4) was 4.54 % at RT for 24 h, and 5.44 % at 80 °C for 2 min. SEM results showed swelling occurred in zein coating after soaking, presenting micropores in soaked zein coating; zein microparticles in composite coating partially broke down and fell off after soaking. Water contact angle results revealed surface hydrophobicity by the following order: EC coating > composite coating > zein coating. FTIR results showed composite coating was physically compounding by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds.

Enzymatic production and physicochemical and functional properties of sorghum protein isolates.

Grain sorghum has emerged as a promising source for producing alternative proteins, yet current extraction methods lack efficiency. In this study, a novel enzymatic approach using α-amylase and cellulase on sorghum materials was developed to address this challenge. Comparisons were made among the proteins isolated from dry-milled sorghum flours, wet-milled sorghum gluten meals, and sorghum dried distiller's grains (DDG). Remarkably, proteins obtained from sorghum gluten meals demonstrated the highest protein purity (83-85 %) and recovery rate (92-93 %), followed by those from sorghum flour (purity 75-76 %) and DDG (purity 45-50 %). Physicochemical properties and functionalities of the isolated sorghum proteins were analyzed and compared with common commercial plant proteins (e.g., soy protein isolate, pea protein isolate, and wheat gluten). Sorghum proteins exhibited higher levels of crude fat content, α-helix, and random coil structures, along with higher surface hydrophobicity and oil holding capacity (OHC) compared to the commercial plant protein isolates. Notably, proteins extracted from sorghum flours displayed slightly higher α-helix and random coil structures, total sulfhydryl content, water holding capacity (WHC), OHC, and protein digestibility compared to proteins isolated from sorghum gluten meals. Overall, this study demonstrates that enzymatic processing is feasible in producing sorghum proteins and provides insights into their basic properties and functionalities.

High acetone soluble organosolv lignin extraction and its application towards green antifouling and wear-resistant coating

Marine fouling poses significant challenges to the efficiency and longevity of marine engineering equipment. To address this issue, developing effective marine antifouling coatings is critical to ensure the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and safety of offshore operations. In this study, we developed an innovative green antifouling and wear-resistant coating based on lignin, a renewable and sustainable resource. Lignin is considered environmentally friendly because it is abundant, biodegradable, and reduces reliance on petroleum-based materials. The coating was formulated with a controlled hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic ratio of 2:8, leveraging lignin's unique properties. Applying lignin increased the water contact angle by 14.5 %, improving surface hydrophobicity and contributing to the coating's antifouling efficacy. Moreover, the mechanical strength of the coating was enhanced by approximately 200 %, significantly boosting its durability in harsh marine environments. Additionally, the friction coefficient was reduced by about 85 %, further preventing organism adhesion. These results demonstrate that lignin-based coatings offer a greener alternative to traditional antifouling solutions. The results of this study not only help advance antifouling coating technology but are also consistent with the broader goal of promoting environmental responsibility in marine engineering practice.

Surfactant Molecules and Nano Gold on HOPG: Experiment and Theory

Excessive surfactant molecules within the solution adhere to highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) when a droplet containing gold nanorods evaporates, leading to the emergence of a unique coffee-ring pattern. The combination of surface hydrophobicity and evaporation of the aqueous phase results in a stick-slip motion, which enhances the convective hydrodynamics of suspended particles. This phenomenon initiates interactions that influence the deposition and flow dynamics inside the droplet. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) does not provide significant insights into regions potentially linked to cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) molecules, whereas the atomic force microscope (AFM) displays the presence of gold nanoparticles arranged by CTAB within specific CTAB patches. The layers forms with varying heights and gaps between them, indicating diverse adhesion of CTAB. The analytical focus lies on the quantitative assessment of CTAB molecules, stripe dimensions, and energy profiles influenced by concentration and the effective positioning of CTAB-coated gold nanorods in CTAB-covered regions. AFM examination reveals CTAB molecular stripes on HOPG, showing a binding energy of -20 kJ/mol with the surface, -10 kJ/mol for nitrogen bonding with HOPG, and a total binding energy (BE) of -60 kJ/mol, considering various contributing factors. Completely parallel aligned molecules (CPAM) exhibit higher binding energy than non-perfectly aligned molecules (NPAM) due to maximum Van der Waals (VdW) interactions, ideal electrostatic interactions, and minimal steric repulsion. The difference in binding energy between perfectly and non-perfectly aligned molecules is around 20kJ/mol, emphasizing the importance of molecular orientation. As temperature rises from 298K to 348K, the likelihood of NPAM desorption increases significantly, with the binding energy shifting from 2.5kJ/mol to 4.1kJ/mol. Temperature significantly influences the equilibrium of molecules on HOPG surfaces. The emphasis is on elucidating the alterations in energy levels during nanorod aggregation on CTAB areas compared to bare HOPG surfaces, underscoring the impact of nanorods on CTAB micelle deformation energy. Observations on the variation in CTAB desorption rates with temperature changes underscore the dynamic nature of molecular binding energy associated with surface properties, underscoring the importance of molecular configuration and energy transfers in nanoscale systems.

Effect of ultrasound combined with plasma protein treatment on the structure, physicochemical and rheological properties of myofibrillar protein

This study aimed to investigate the effect of ultrasound combined with plasma protein (UPP) treatment on the structure, physicochemical and rheological properties of myofibrillar protein (MP). The results indicated that the UPP group caused changes in the secondary structure, increased fluorescence intensity and enhanced surface hydrophobicity of MP. Then, UPP significantly decreased the content of free and total sulfhydryl group, and high molecular weight protein contents were observed in MP. These findings implied moderate cross-linking and aggregation between plasma protein and MP in this ultrasound treatment. Furthermore, the physical characteristics, stability and rheological properties of MP were improved in UPP, as evidenced by increased storage modulus and decreased loss angle tangent. Therefore, this study suggested that the combined treatment not only had the potential to enhance the product quality in the process of ground meat, but also improved the utilization rate and added value of plasma proteins.

Functional, structural, and rheological properties of the complexes containing sunflower petal extract with dairy and plant-based proteins

This study aims to investigate the impact of sunflower petal extract (SFE) on the functional and structural properties of sodium caseinate and chickpea proteins. For this purpose, 3.5 % of sodium caseinate solution and 3.5 % of protein extracted from chickpea powder were prepared in phosphate buffer (pH = 7). SFE was used at different concentrations, from 1 to 3 % in different protein solutions and functional, structural and rheological properties were measured. The results revealed that complexation of SFE with different proteins can enhance the antioxidant, foaming properties, solubility, emulsion activity, emulsion stability, viscoelastic behavior, and can decrease surface hydrophobicity. FTIR and docking results showed that the most bonding type was non-covalent bonds. Major phenolic compounds containing heliannone A, B, and kaempferol had strong affinity with sodium caseinate, and then chickpea protein. Therefore, the results demonstrated that SFE and its complexes had appropriate emulsifying properties that reduces interfacial tension in the water/oil interface.

Novel high-strength, recyclable, microbial-resistant, and freeze-thaw dual topological network hydrogel cooling media

The demand for multifunctional hydrogels, offering high mechanical strength, efficient cooling, and antimicrobial properties, is growing in food preservation. Here, a dual-network (DN) hydrogel PM@Cur, which includes curcumin, is fabricated through chemical crosslinking and hydrogen bonding interactions. The resulting hydrogels can withstand more than five freeze-thaw cycles at −80 °C, and resist brittleness after liquid nitrogen treatment. PM@Cur also exhibits surface hydrophobicity (contact angle >90°) for both water and organic solvents. These properties meet the mechanical, anti-fouling, and recyclable demands for hydrogel coolants. The antimicrobial assays in vitro confirmed that the inclusion of curcumin provided the PM@Cur with photodynamic antimicrobial capacity. Finally, the prepared PM@Cur hydrogel ice cubes have been confirmed to exhibit better anti-melting properties than traditional ice cubes, thus enabling the preservation of strawberries and shrimp. This study presents an innovative solution for producing advanced functional integrated hydrogels, offering a promising and safer option for food coolants.\\.

Van der Waals interactions between nonpolar alkyl chains and polar oxide surfaces prevent catalyst deactivation in aldehyde gas sensing

Catalysis-based electrical sensing of volatile organic compounds on metal oxide surfaces is a powerful method for molecular discrimination. However, catalyst deactivation caused by the poisoning of catalytic sites by analytes and/or catalyzed products remains a challenge. This study highlights the underestimated role of van der Waals interactions between hydrophobic aliphatic alkyl chains and hydrophilic ZnO surfaces in mitigating catalyst deactivation during aliphatic aldehyde sensing. By immobilizing octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) on ZnO nanowire sensors, recovery times for nonanal detection are significantly reduced without compromising sensitivity. Temperature-programmed measurements demonstrate a reduction in desorption temperature of carboxylates on ODPA-modified ZnO to below 150 °C, whereas carboxylates on bare ZnO remain above 300 °C, indicating a significant decrease in catalyst deactivation. Density functional theory calculations reveal that accumulated van der Waals interactions between alkyl chains and ZnO surfaces significantly contributed to adsorption molecular kinetics. IR spectroscopy using deuterated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) reveals conformational changes of alkyl chains within the SAMs caused by aldehyde adsorption, supporting the suggested adsorption kinetics. A model is proposed based on the dynamic surface-covering by alkyl chains destabilizes catalytically oxidized carboxylic acids.

Switching CO2 Electroreduction Pathways between Ethylene and Ethanol via Tuning Microenvironment of the Coating on Copper Nanofibers

AbstractEngineering the microenvironment of electrode surface is one of the effective means to tune the reaction pathways in CO2RR. In this work, we prepared copper nanofibers with conductive polypyrrole coating by polymerization of pyrrole using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as template. As a result, the obtained copper nanofibers Cu/Cu2+1O/SHNC, exhibited a superhydrophobic surface, which demonstrated very high selectivity for ethanol with a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 66.5 % at −1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in flow cell. However, the catalyst Cu/Cu2+1O/NC, which was prepared under the same conditions but without PVP, possessed a hydrophobic surface and exhibited high selectivity towards ethylene at the given potentials. The mechanism for switch of reaction pathways from ethylene to ethanol in CO2RR was studied. Incorporating pyrrolidone groups into the polymer coating results in the formation of a superhydrophobic surface. This surface weakens the hydrogen bonding interaction between interfacial water molecules and facilitates the transfer of CO2, thereby enhancing the local CO2/H2O ratio. The high coverage of *CO promotes the coupling of *CO and *CHO to form C2 intermediates, and reduces the reaction energy for the formation of *CHCHOH (ethanol path) at the interface. This ensures that the reaction pathway is directed towards ethanol.

Effect of Medium-Chain-Length Alkyl Silane Modified Nanocellulose in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Nanocomposites.

Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a valuable biopolymer that is produced in industrial quantity but is not widely used in applications due to some drawbacks. The addition of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) as a biofiller in PHB/CNF nanocomposites may improve PHB properties and enlarge its application field. In this work, n-octyltriethoxy silane (OTES), a medium-chain-length alkyl silane, was used to surface chemically modify the CNF (CNF_OTES) to enhance their hydrophobicity and improve their compatibility with PHB. The surface functionalization of CNF and nanodimension were emphasized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and water contact angle (CA). Surface modification of CNF with OTES led to an increase in thermal stability by 25 °C and more than the doubling of CA. As a result of the higher surface hydrophobicity, the CNF_OTES were more homogeneously dispersed in PHB than unmodified CNF, leading to a PHB nanocomposite with better thermal and mechanical properties. Thus, an increase by 122% of the storage modulus at 25 °C, a slight increase in crystallinity, a better melting processability, and good thermal stability were obtained after reinforcing PHB with CNF_OTES, paving the way for increasing PHB applicability.