A bioinspired approach to produce parahydrophobic properties using PEDOP conducting polymers with branched alkyl chains

Abstract

International audienceIn nature, several plants and insects, such as the Rosa montana petals or the gecko foot, are highly hydrophobic but with an extremely high water adhesion. These properties are called parahydrophobic. Here, in order to reproduce such properties we have developed original 3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole monomers containing branched alkyl chains in order to have intrinsically hydrophilic polymers. In certain conditions, the electrodeposited conducting polymer films are parahydrophobic due to the presence fibrous structures forming large agglomerates. On such surfaces, a water droplet deposited on them remains stuck even after a substrate inclination of 180°. Such properties are extremely interesting for applications in water harvesting, for example

Poly(3,4-propylenedioxypyrrole) Nanofibers with Branched Alkyl Chains by Electropolymerization to Obtain Sticky Surfaces with High Contact Angles

“…Various substituents can be grafted on either the nitrogen or/and on the bridge. Our group previously reported various EDOP and ProDOP derivatives by substitution on the nitrogen . By contrast, Reynold et al.…”

“…The electropolymerization is a very versatile and fast process to induce the growth of nanostructures such as nanofibers directly on a conductive substrate used as a working electrode . 3,4‐ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) and 3,4‐propylenedioxypyrrole (ProDOP) were found to be exceptional monomers for electropolymerization with an extremely low oxidation potential while the conducting polymers formed possess unique opto‐electronic properties . Merz et al.…”

“…[30][31][32] 3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) and 3,4-propylenedioxypyrrole (ProDOP) were found to be exceptional monomers for electropolymerization with an extremely low oxidation potential while the conducting polymers formed possess unique opto-electronic properties. [33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Merz et al were the first to report 3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) and 3,4propylenedioxypyrrole (ProDOP) derivatives using an eight-step synthesis. [33] However, due to the extreme difficulty to synthesize them (usually in more than eight steps), their interest is under-estimated in the literature.…”

“…Our group previously reported various EDOP and ProDOP derivatives by substitution on the nitrogen. [34][35][36] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 diversified the possibilities by introducing different substituents on the bridge. [37][38][39] Here, in order to prepare highly hydrophobic nanofibers, it was preferable to graft the hydrophobic substituent on the bridge keeping the NH groups free.…”

Bioinspired Rose‐Petal‐Like Substrates Generated by Electropolymerization on Micropatterned Gold Substrates

“…In these derivatives, the EDOP moiety was conjugated to the fluorinated chain by using an ester linker. The fabrication of surfaces with parahydrophobic properties was also reported by replacing the fluorinated chains with substituents of lower hydrophobicity such as branched alkyl chains or aromatic groups . Such substrates also resulted in superoleophilic properties.…”