Hybridization to prepare environmentally friendly, cost-effective superhydrophobic oleophobic coatings

Abstract Most petroleum-based polymers are non-biodegradable, leading to serious environmental concerns. Paper has become an important substitute for plastic. The hygroscopicity of paper in a humid environment causes its physical and mechanical strength to decrease. The development of superhydrophobic paper offers an effective solution that significantly improves water resistance and wettability, while also imbuing self-cleaning and stain resistance. In this study, the superhydrophobic oil coating was prepared with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS) as organic components and nano titanium dioxide particles as inorganic components by hydrolysis condensation under alkaline conditions. The microstructure and chemical composition of the coating were analyzed by SEM and other techniques. In addition, we also studied the influence of TiO 2 quantity and other factors on the wettability of the paper interface, and determined the optimal preparation process to achieve the super hydrophobic oil repellent coating. The results show that when the addition amount of nano-titanium dioxide is 0.16 %, the reaction time is 6 h, the volume ratio of organosilane TEOS to OTS is 1:2 and the addition amount of TEOS is 6 mL (that is, when the total addition amount of organosilane is 23 %), the water contact angle on the surface of the layer is 159°±1.5°, the rolling angle is 3.5°±0.5°, the glycerol contact angle is 155°, and the ethylene glycol contact angle is 142°, indicating that this coating has excellent superhydrophobic and highly oleophobic properties. In addition, the coating has low adhesion to water, good self-cleaning ability and corrosion resistance.