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Updated: Jun 10, 2025
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Preparation of superhydrophobic nanowires on polypropylene surface via injection compression molding for efficient
Xing-Yu Wang1, Han-Xiong Huang1
1Lab for Micro Molding and Polymer Rheology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, South China University of Technology Guangzhou 510640 People's Republic of China 1437751926@qq.com.
Abstract:
In this work, a superhydrophobic polypropylene (PP) replica with nanowires is fabricated using an injection compression molding (ICM) process. The morphology, superhydrophobicity and fog water harvesting efficiency of the as-prepared PP replica surface are investigated. Morphological characterization indicates that the PP replica surface exhibits nanowires with intertwined tips. Compared to the untreated PP surface (referred to as the PP counterpart), the PP replica surface shows a higher contact angle (CA) and lower rolling angle (RA). Furthermore, the complete transfer of a water droplet with no volume loss from the PP replica surface to the filter paper shows that nanowires on the PP replica surface are responsible for the superhydrophobic and low-adhesive properties of the surface. The Cassie-Baxter state with a CA of ∼153°, low ice adhesion strength (13.3 kPa at -20 °C) and good fog water harvesting efficiency (∼7.26 g m-2 s-1) demonstrate that the prepared PP replica has economic potential for fog water harvesting applications.
