Superhydrophobic Self-Cleaning Membranes Made by Electrospinning

Abstract

A superhydrophobic and photocatalytic composite fiber material is developed using polystyrene polydimethylsiloxane and graphitic nitride and then thoroughly characterized. SEM is used to determine the nanostructure of the fiber material, and the contact and sliding angles are measured to test the obtained fibers for their hydrophobicity. The degradation of methylene blue is used to monitor the photocatalytic activity of the created materials. This serves to create a self-cleaning surface where hydrophilic pollutants are repelled from the surface due to the low sliding angle; the lower-surface-tension pollutants resist wetting the surface and can be thoroughly washed off; and photocatalytical oxidation can degrade pollutants that fully wet the fabric, allowing the surface to recover.