Bio-inspired electrospun micro/nanofibers with special wettability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Natural materials inspire extreme wetting states (superhydrophobicity/superhydrophilicity).
• Electrospinning is a key technique for fabricating fibers with tunable surface chemistry and roughness.

Purpose of the Study:

• Provide a comprehensive overview of electrospun fibers with superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic, or combined wetting properties.
• Discuss modification techniques and the role of intrinsic fiber structures on wettability.
• Highlight emerging applications and fabrication methods for smart wettable materials.

Main Methods:

• Review of electrospinning techniques for fiber fabrication.
• Analysis of surface modification strategies to achieve surface heterogeneity.
• Investigation of intrinsic fiber structures (crystallinity, chain orientation) and their impact on wettability.

Main Results:

• Nanometer fiber size and secondary nanoscale structures are crucial for extreme wetting states.
• Surface chemistry and roughness, alongside intrinsic properties, dictate hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity.
• Various modification techniques enable tailored surface topography and wettability.

Conclusions:

• Electrospun fibers offer versatile platforms for creating surfaces with special wettability.
• These fibers hold significant potential for water harvesting, directional water collection, and oil-water separation.
• Further research into smart materials with controlled wettability is warranted.