Facile Fabrication of Durable Superhydrophobic Films from Carbon Nanotube/Main-Chain Type Polybenzoxazine Composites

Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials have immense applications in the fields of industry and research. However, their durability is still a cause for concern. A facile method for preparing durable superhydrophobic films from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the main-chain type polybenzoxazine precursors is reported herein. We used probe ultrasonicator to prepare CNT/polybenzoxazine coatings. Compared with the general sonicating dispersion process, the dispersion time was greatly reduced from a few hours to 5 minutes and the prepared suspension exhibited film-forming characteristics well. The CNT/polybenzoxazine films, which do not contain any fluorinated compounds, exhibit remarkable durability against thermal treatment, organic solvents, corrosive liquids, and sandpaper abrasion, while retaining their superhydrophobicity. Furthermore, these CNT/polybenzoxazine films also showed durable superhydrophobicity after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for 100 h. This CNT/polybenzoxazine film can be readily used for practical applications to make durable superhydrophobic coatings.

Simulation of Percolation Threshold, Tunneling Distance, and Conductivity for Carbon Nanotube (CNT)-Reinforced Nanocomposites Assuming Effective CNT Concentration

“…Polymer carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposites (PCNT) are very attractive from research and application points of view, because they can elucidate important properties when the concentration of nanoparticles reaches the percolation threshold, which is the minimum CNT content that produces the conductive networks in nanocomposites [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Long and thin CNTs normally introduce a low percolation threshold, producing a conductive nanocomposite by incorporation of very low CNT content [16].…”

Study on the Effects of the Interphase Region on the Network Properties in Polymer Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

“…Many researchers have focused on polymer/carbon nanotubes (CNT) nanocomposites because their very low volume fractions show effective mechanical, thermal and chemical properties by preserving low density, transparency and simple processing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The addition of CNT or graphene to polymers forms conductive nanocomposites, which has produced scientific interest in the research communities due to their potential applications in different fields, such as electronics and sensors [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Analysis of the Connecting Effectiveness of the Interphase Zone on the Tensile Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) Reinforced Nanocomposite

“…The carbon nanotubes (CNT) as ideal nanoparticles can add high stiffness and good electrical conductivity to polymer matrices. Additionally, the nanoscale diameter and large aspect ratio of CNT significantly improve the general properties of polymer CNT nanocomposites (PCNT) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The van der Waals attraction between nanotubes leads the aggregation/agglomeration in the nanocomposites, which reduces the filler surface expanse and interrupts the networking level [18][19][20].…”