In this work we present a method to manufacture flat sheet membranes with a thin isoporous block copolymer (BCP) layer (thickness <3 µm) by profile roller coating (breadth: 30 cm) on top of a porous support membrane. Highly diluted BCP-solutions were used for this coating process. While we cast membranes with dimensions of 30 cm × 50 cm in this work, the procedure can easily be extended to endless dimensions in this roll to roll (R2R) process. The method offers the possibility to save >95% of BCP raw material compared to common doctor blade casting, by strongly decreasing the layer thickness to below 3 µm in combination with a highly open substructure. Additionally, we report a straightforward method to investigate the influence of the solvent evaporation time between coating and precipitation (phase inversion) on the membrane morphology using one sample only, which also ensures that all other influencing parameters remain constant.

A structural viscosity model for magnetorheology Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 021903 (2012) Self-propulsion in viscoelastic fluids: Pushers vs. pullers Phys. Fluids 24, 051902 (2012) Two regimes of self-propelled motion of a torus rotating about its centerline in a viscous incompressible fluid at intermediate Reynolds numbers Phys. Fluids 24, 053603 (2012) Helical flows of fractionalized Burgers' fluids AIP Advances 2, 012167 (2012) Additional information on Phys. FluidsIn this paper, we present a numerical study devised to investigate the influence of microstructural parameters on the performance of fibrous superhydrophobic coatings manufactured via dc and ac electrospinning. In particular, our study is focused on predicting the resistance of such coatings against elevated hydrostatic pressures, which is of crucial importance for submersible applications. In our study, we generate 3D virtual geometries composed of randomly or orthogonally oriented horizontal fibers with bimodal diameter distributions resembling the microstructure of our electrospun coatings. These virtual geometries are then used as the computational domain for performing full morphology numerical simulations to establish a relationship between the coatings' critical pressure (pressure beyond which the surface may depart from the Cassie state) and their microstructures. For coatings with ordered microstructures, we have also derived analytical expressions for the critical pressure based on the balance of forces acting on the water-air interface. Predictions of our force balance analysis are compared with those of our FM simulations as well as the equations proposed by Tuteja et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 18200 (2008)], and discussed in detail. Our numerical simulations are aimed at providing useful information with regards to the tolerance of fibrous superhydrophobic coatings against elevated pressures, and helping with the design and optimization of the coatings' microstructures. Our results show considerably higher pressure tolerance for the case of coatings with orthogonally oriented fibers as compared to those with randomly laid fibers when other microstructural parameters are held constant. Moreover, it is demonstrated that thickness of the coating has less influence on performance in the case of orthogonal microstructures. Coatings' responses to other variations favor those that yield smallersized inter-fiber spaces. Studies are also performed investigating the effect of subtle permutations in the layer configurations of our ac-electrospun coatings, as well as the use of a hybrid coating that utilizes advantages from both dc and ac electrospinning. C 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.

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