Preparation of superhydrophobic surface on P(VDF-HFP) fibers by electrospinning technique

Abstract

In this work, a superhydrophobic surface of poly (vinylidenefluoridene-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) fibers was fabricated by means of electrospinning technique. The effects of flow rate on the morphology and hydrophobicity of P(VDF-HFP) nanofibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water contact angle (WCA), respectively. The results exhibit a uniform P(VDF-HFP) fiber mat at the lowest flow rate. However, the presence of bead-on-string the fibers was exhibited at higher flow rate. The average fiber diameter of P(VDF-HFP) fibers is increased with increasing flow rates. The WCA values of the P(VDF-HFP) fibers with bead-on-string structure could reach up to 158.60º, indicating as the superhydrophobicity. These as-received porous P(VDF-HFP) fibers with superhydrophobic surface are attractive properties for self-cleaning materials used for further several industrial applications.