Superhydrophobic Surfaces Made from Naturally Derived Hydrophobic Materials

Abstract

Functional coatings that can achieve stable superhydrophobicity have the potential to significantly enhance a plethora of industrial applications ranging from building environmental control, phase change heat transfer, thermoelectric power generation, and hydrodynamic drag reduction. In order to create superhydrophobic surfaces, scientists have utilized a variety of surface structuring methods in combination with organosilane based alkyl and perfluorinated synthetic chemical coatings. Unfortunately, organosilane based alkyl and perfluorinated chemicals tend to be toxic, flammable, corrosive, difficult to dispose of, and damaging to the environment. Here, we develop two new methods to achieve superhydrophobicity using liquid phase deposition of cinnamic acid or myristic acid, both organic compounds derived from natural sources. By varying the liquid phase solution concentration, we develop deposition methods on scalable copper oxide microstructured surfaces capable of achieving apparent advancing contact angles as high as 154° and 165° for cinnamic and myristic acid, respectively, with low contact angle hysteresis (<15°). To demonstrate superhydrophobic performance, we utilize high speed optical microscopy to show stable coalescence induced droplet jumping during atmospheric water vapor condensation. This study presents a novel avenue for safer and more environmentally friendly fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces for energy and water applications.

Investigation and Prediction on Regulation of Hydrophobicity of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Surface by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation

“…Many methods have been proposed for preparing hydrophobic structures. Razavi et al [7]. used chemical vapor deposition to make microstructures on the surface of copper.…”

Superhydrophobic Coatings from Beeswax‐in‐Water Emulsions with Latent Heat Storage Capability

“…[1] Since then, many different and effective methods have been utilized to produce hydrorepellent surfaces inspired by the lotus leaf. [2,[4][5][6][7] For instance, recently, fabricating nonwetting surfaces using only water-based solutions or suspensions has been successfully demonstrated. [2,[4][5][6][7] For instance, recently, fabricating nonwetting surfaces using only water-based solutions or suspensions has been successfully demonstrated.…”

Bioinspired Edible Lubricant-Infused Surface with Liquid Residue Reduction Properties

“…Efforts for providing a residue reduction ability for a food-related surface have been made by scientists around the world. Edible superhydrophobic surfaces with self-cleaning ability were brought up to provide residue reduction [9][10][11][12]. Superhydrophobic surfaces inspired by nature's lotus plant leaf have huge potentials in the fields of anti-icing [13], antifouling [14], antifogging [15,16], and antifrosting [17,18].…”