Flexible superhydrophobic paper with a large and stable floating capacity

Abstract

Recently, one interesting wetting phenomenon was found whereby a live frog can stably stand or easily jump on a floating lotus surface. Inspired by the floating leaf, constructing a lotus-like substrate is important to provide powerful aquatic support. In this article, a flexible and light-weight superhydrophobic paper was successfully fabricated by coating a mixture of polystyrene-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer (PS-co-PMMA) and silica nano-particles. The micro/nano structures from the composite coating render common papers to possess superhydrophobic surfaces with low adhesion.The coated paper restricts capillary absorption owing to its high water-repellency; moreover, it has an ultra-low absorption when completely soaked into water. A lotus-like support model with some origami frogs is made to display the floating feasibility of the coated paper. The maximum supporting force of the coated paper with an area of 30 Â 30 mm is equivalent to $68 times its own weight. The simple force analysis illustrates that the great carrying capacity of the coated paper comes from its superhydrophobicity. Importantly, the flexibility of the coated paper possibly gives rise to its good dynamic floating stability. We believe that flexible superhydrophobic paper can be practically applied to some smart designs like aquatic micro-devices.

Preparation and Comprehensive Performance Test of Superhydrophobic Paper Mulch Films

“…Color super hydrophobic paper was obtained by precipitating cellulose and color stearate on swollen cotton, and the hydrophobic paper still maintained good hydrophobic stability after abrasion. Zhang et al 20 reported a preparation method of superhydrophobic paper. By coating the mixture of silica nanoparticles and polystyrene-polymethyl methacrylate copolymer (PS-co-PMMA), flexible lightweight superhydrophobic paper with strong hydrophobicity was successfully prepared with excellent hydrophobic performance.…”

Fabrication of the superhydrophobic natural cellulosic paper with different wettability and oil/water separation application

“…To addressing these challenges, Zhang et al prepared a light‐weight, flexible and superhydrophobic cellulosic paper by simply coating the mixture of polystyrene‐poly (methylmethacrylate) copolymer (PS‐co‐PMMA) and silica nano‐particles 42 . Moreover, a superhydrophobic cellulose‐based paperboard with a WCA larger than 160°was fabricated by depositing with titanium dioxide nanoparticles using a thermal spray method 43 .…”

Development of One‐Step Water‐Repellent and Flame‐Retardant Finishes for Cotton

“…Both of nano‐ and micro‐hierarchical surface roughness and low surface energy are recognized as strong heuristic to accomplish superhydrophobic property, which is a key role to produce waterproof fabrics. Nonetheless, low surface energy modifiers are commonly fluorine‐based materials which are highly toxic and expensive, which led to limiting its wider applications …”