Morphology Tuneable and Multifunctional Polystyrene‐Silicone Nano‐Composite Materials

Abstract

Nanostructured materials have shown extraordinary promise for high surface area applications. Here we report the design of polystyrene (PS)‐silicone nanofilaments (SNFs) composites, which can be flexibly grown on various substrates. The high surface area achieved by the SNFs is further extended by grafting with polystyrene. By changing the polymerization conditions and post treatment methods, the morphology of grafted PS is easily tuned into three types: leaf‐shaped, bead‐shaped and well‐wrapped. The tuneable morphology of PS is optimized for oil‐water separation and photocatalytic reactions and exhibited improved performances.

Superhydrophobic Self‐Cleaning Membranes Made by Electrospinning

“…Mixtures of dimethylformamide (DMF) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) are best because both major components can be dissolved and sprayed, as described in the literature. [8,10,21,23] A series of DMF:THF mixtures with three spraying conditions were created, and their contact and sliding angles as well as their photocatalytical proficiency were tested by degrading methylene blue (see Figure 1).…”

“…Since then, the lotus effect has been used to produce self-cleaning surfaces via numerous methods. Typical methods include laser etching onto hydrophobic materials, [2,3] 3D printing, [4] growing 1D nanostructures with a special type of chemical vapor deposition, [5] and electrospinning particles or fibers as reviewed by Thoney et al [6] An alternative approach to obtain self-cleaning surfaces is the use of photocatalysts, e.g., titanium dioxide, [7][8][9] zinc oxide in some cases, [10] or other semiconducting materials, [11] in order to photocatalytically degrade pollutants on the surface. At least in the…”