Development of Poly(propylene) Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Functionalised TiO₂ Nanoparticles: Effect of Solvents and Dipping Times

Abstract

Summary We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of poly(propylene) (PP) superhydrophobic surfaces, i.e., surfaces that show water contact angle (WCA) ≥ 150° after a simple dipping process. Injection‐moulded PP samples were coated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles previously functionalised with trimethoxy propyl silane. Water, ethanol or xylene were used as solvents in the nanoparticles' suspensions. The prepared superhydrophobic surfaces were characterised by WCA, FTIR‐ATR, SEM and profilometry measurements. PP coated samples showed very low wettability, with WCAs higher than 150° when xylene was used as a solvent. The combination of increasing the surface roughness via dipping coating process plus the low surface tension of the coating produced the final superhydrophobic PP substrates.

Development of novel three‐dimensional scaffolds based on bacterial nanocellulose for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: Effect of processing methods, pore size, and surface area

“…Xylene (dimethylbenzene) is another compound to be avoided in scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine because it is highly toxic and can trigger apoptosis and immune reactions . Method A used that compound as a dewaxing agent, but there was no presence of the aromatic vibrations typical of xylene between 2700 and 3100 cm −1 , 2966 cm −1 , and between 1400 and 1600 cm −1 , which are associated with the vibrations of CH 2 , CH and CC, respectively . Therefore, there was no evidence of the presence of xylene in the scaffolds.…”