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Download fileCellulose-Based Superhydrophobic Surface Decorated with Functional Groups Showing Distinct Wetting Abilities to Manipulate Water Harvesting
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posted on 2020-08-26, 19:11 authored by Wei Huang, Xiangyu Tang, Zhe Qiu, Wenxin Zhu, Yonggui Wang, You-Liang Zhu, Zefang Xiao, Haigang Wang, Daxin Liang, Jian Li, Yanjun XieInspired
by the distinct functions of desert beetles with efficient
droplet nucleation and lotus leaves with excellent droplet removal,
an integrated method is presented for the design of a superhydrophobic
surface decorated with hydrophilic groups that can efficiently nucleate
and remove water droplets. We constructed a cellulose-based superhydrophobic
surface containing numerous olefin terminal groups by solvent exchange
and spray coating. This surface is different from most of the reported
biomimicking water harvesting surfaces that rely on complicated lithography
and micropatterning techniques requiring special instruments. The
obtained superhydrophobic surface was further modified using various
thiol compounds via a thiol–ene reaction to manipulate the
water harvesting property. The modified surfaces containing hydrophobic
groups (e.g., 1-octadecanethiol and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol) or
a strong hydrophilic group (e.g., 3-mercaptopropionic acid and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol)
exhibited insufficient fog collecting abilities due to poor water
droplet nucleation or strong water adhesion. By contrast, the modified
surface decorated with moderately hydrophilic amino groups combines
the advantages of biological surfaces with distinct wetting features
(such as fog-harvesting beetles and water-repellent lotus leaves),
resulting in accelerated water nucleation and less compromise of the
water removal efficiency. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that
the efficient droplet nucleation is attributed to the hydrophilic
amino groups whereas the rapid droplet removal is due to the maintained
superhydrophobicity of the amino group-modified surface. This strategy
of decorating a superhydrophobic surface with moderately hydrophilic
functional groups provides insight into the manipulation of droplet
nucleation and removal for water collection efficiency.
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cellulose-based superhydrophobic su...Distinct Wetting Abilitieswater droplet nucleationdroplet removalCellulose-Based Superhydrophobic Su...olefin terminal groupsManipulate Water Harvestingwater harvesting propertybiomimicking water harvesting surfaces6- mercapto -1-hexanoldroplet nucleationwater collection efficiencysuperhydrophobic surfacewater removal efficiency