From waste plastic to artificial lotus leaf: Upcycling waste polypropylene to superhydrophobic spheres with hierarchical micro/nanostructure

Scalable superhydrophobic coatings with recycled polypropylene

“…All coatings demonstrate remarkable superhydrophobicity, owing to the unique morphology of PP particles, thereby eliminating the need to synthesize superhydrophobic OPP microspheres through phase separation. 14 The outcomes of this work showcase an effective method for improving superhydrophobic coatings from polypropylene and contribute to the resolution of plastic pollution issue.…”

“…The oxidation process is carried out using our previously developed molten plastic method without the need for a solvent. 14 Recycled centrifuge tubes were used as a polypropylene source. It turned out that the resultant partially oxidized polypropylene (OPP) exhibits enhanced solubility in toluene, achieving concentrations of up to 10 mg mL −1 at room temperature, or even higher concentrations at near room temperatures ( e.g.…”

“…Envisaging that the solubility of polypropylene would change with altered polarity, we tried to oxidize PP by using a “molten plastic method”. 14 The reaction was carried out under aerobic condition in an open vial without any solvent. At reaction temperatures, typically 220 °C, PP melted and became stirrable.…”

Airflow Triggered Water Film Self-Sculpturing on Femtosecond Laser-Induced Heterogeneously Wetted Micro/Nanostructured Surfaces

“…The unique surface structure of lotus leaves and the resulting superhydrophobic properties have always been of great interest. − After a rainy day, a lotus leaf can be submerged in water, but a gentle wind will cause the surface to spontaneously dewet without any other external forces . Inspired by this phenomenon, we put forward water film self-sculpture triggered by wind on heterogeneous wetting surfaces (HWS).…”