Facile preparation of poly(ethyl alpha-cyanoacrylate) superhydrophobic and gradient wetting surfaces

Hollow microspheres of poly(ethyl alpha-cyanoacrylate) were prepared via vapor phase polymerization using micro-waterdroplets as template and initiator. Depending on the ratio of the shell thickness to the radius, the hollow microspheres would crimple to form either microballoons or microcups during drying. These two types of microparticles were used as building blocks to construct surfaces with diverse wettability. The microballoons linked up to form a porous-netlike surface which was rough enough to render the surface superhydrophobic, while the microcups-built surface showed less hydrophobicity. In addition, surfaces consisting of both microparticles with gradual decrease of roughness along the length direction were obtained, which presented gradient wetting property varied from superhydrophobic to hydrophobic. The as-formed superhydrophobic or gradient wetting surfaces may find potential applications in biomedical field because of the biocompatibility of poly(ethyl alpha-cyanoacrylate).