Guina Ren1, Yuanming Song2, Xiangming Li2, Bo Wang2, Yanli Zhou2, Yuyan Wang2, Bo Ge3, Xiaotao Zhu4. 1. School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264405, China. Electronic address: rgnlicp@126.com. 2. School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264405, China. 3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China. 4. School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264405, China. Electronic address: xiaotao.zhu@ytu.edu.cn.
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: Development of an ultra-robust superhydrophobic fabric with mechanical stability, UV durability, and UV shielding by a simple method is highly desirable, yet it remains a challenge that current technologies have been unable to fully address. EXPERIMENTS: Herein, the original fabric is immersed into the solution containing ZnO nanoparticle and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the fiber surfaces are uniformly covered by a ZnO-PDMS layer after thermal treatment at 110 °C for 30 min. FINDINGS: Droplets of water and corrosive liquids including strong acid, strong alkali, and saturated salt solution display sphere shape on the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric surface. The stable binding of ZnO-PDMS layer onto the fibers allows for the fabric coating with robust superhydrophobicity, and the coated fabric still displays superhydrophobicity after hand twisting, knife scratching, finger touching, and even cycles of sandpaper abrasion. The ZnO-PDMS coated fabric can also keep its superhydrophobic property when exposed to long term UV illumination, demonstrating its UV resistance. Moreover, the uniformly distribution of ZnO nanoparticles on fibers allows the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric to display UV shielding property.
HYPOTHESIS: Development of an ultra-robust superhydrophobic fabric with mechanical stability, UV durability, and UV shielding by a simple method is highly desirable, yet it remains a challenge that current technologies have been unable to fully address. EXPERIMENTS: Herein, the original fabric is immersed into the solution containing ZnO nanoparticle and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the fiber surfaces are uniformly covered by a ZnO-PDMS layer after thermal treatment at 110 °C for 30 min. FINDINGS: Droplets of water and corrosive liquids including strong acid, strong alkali, and saturated salt solution display sphere shape on the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric surface. The stable binding of ZnO-PDMS layer onto the fibers allows for the fabric coating with robust superhydrophobicity, and the coated fabric still displays superhydrophobicity after hand twisting, knife scratching, finger touching, and even cycles of sandpaper abrasion. The ZnO-PDMS coated fabric can also keep its superhydrophobic property when exposed to long term UV illumination, demonstrating its UV resistance. Moreover, the uniformly distribution of ZnO nanoparticles on fibers allows the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric to display UV shielding property.