Preparation of SiO2/PS superhydrophobic fibers with bionic controllable micro–nano structure via centrifugal spinning

Abstract

The preparation of superhydrophobic micro/nano fibers has been mainly focused on the use of electrospinning; however, practical applications are limited due to cost, scale and controllable research. Herein, we present a novel and simple centrifugal spinning technology that extrudes fibers from polymer solutions by using a high-speed rotary, perforated spinneret. By controlling the concentration of the spinning solutions and adjusting the spinning parameters, polystyrene (PS) fibers with different structures have been prepared. Since PS is a low surface energy material, the surface roughness can further increase the hydrophobicity of the fibers. We prepared hydrophobic SiO₂ in different sizes, mixed them with PS dissolved in DMF, and SiO₂/PS fibers were obtained by centrifugal spinning, where the maximum water contact angle of SiO₂/PS fibers was 151° with superhydrophobicity. The typical surface of the silver ragwort leaf fibers with numerous grooves, and the lotus leaf with nano-protrusions, were successfully imitated on the centrifugally-spun SiO₂/PS fiber surface. The as-prepared PS fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle/sliding angle measurements, and a processing–structure–performance relationship was established. Results demonstrate that the fiber morphology can be easily manipulated by controlling the spinning parameters, and centrifugal spinning is a promising approach for meeting the growing demand for the mass production of superhydrophobic micro/nano fibers.