Superhydrophobic Coatings on Cellulose‐Based Materials: Fabrication, Properties, and Applications

Abstract

Wettability of a solid surface by a liquid plays an important role in several phenomena and applications, for example in adhesion, printing, and self‐cleaning. In particular, wetting of rough surfaces has attracted great scientific interest in recent decades. Superhydrophobic surfaces, which possess extraordinary water repelling properties due to their low surface energy and specific nanometer‐ and micrometer‐scale roughness, are of particular interest due to the great variety of potential applications ranging from self‐cleaning surfaces to microfluidic devices. In recent years, the potential of superhydrophobic cellulose‐based materials in the function of smart devices and functional clothing has been recognized, and in the past few years cellulose‐based materials have established themselves among the most frequently used substrates for superhydrophobic coatings. In this Review, over 40 different approaches to fabricate superhydrophobic coatings on cellulose‐based materials are discussed in detail. In addition to the anti‐wetting properties of the coatings, particular attention is paid to coating durability and other incorporated functionalities such as gas permeability, transparency, UV‐shielding, photoactivity, and self‐healing properties. Potential applications for the superhydrophobic cellulose‐based materials range from water‐ and stain‐repellent, self‐cleaning and breathable clothing to cheap and disposable lab‐on‐a‐chip devices made from renewable sources with reduced material consumption.

Durable superoleophobic fabric surfaces with counterintuitive superwettability for polar solvents

“…20,21 Homogeneous liquid-repellent coatings on cellulose-based materials were extensively reported on superhydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity recently. 22,23 Only a few studies 13,14,18,24 have reported surfaces performing higher oil contact angles than that of water, most all of which, however, are oleophilic thus displaying limited oil repellency. To obtain counterintuitive superhydrophilicity on an oil-repellent surface, the introduction and regulation of heterogeneity in surface chemistry plays a vitally important role.…”

Eco-Friendly Cellulose–Polymer Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Properties and Applications

“…Plasma is the fourth state of matter in the universe, ionised gas or free electrons, bombarded on the surface with high energy under the electric field/super magnetic field so that it cuts the link between carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and making the surface into nanoroughed surface [45,74]. This method is highly targetive, selective and a controlled process and further selective deposition can be achieved through chemical vapour deposition method.…”

Enhanced Barrier Performance of Engineered Paper by Atomic Layer Deposited Al2O3 Thin Films

“…However, it is hydrophilic and hygroscopic, which makes it difficult to beat the success of synthetic plastic materials without further modification. A wide range of studies have examined surface alteration approaches to modify and tune barrier properties of cellulosic surfaces [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] . These methods involve morphological and chemical modifications by plasma processing [1][2][3] , deposition of organic and inorganic coatings 4,8 , chemical vapor deposition 9 , and polymerization techniques 10 .…”