Easily Prepared and Performance-Enhanced Superhydrophobic, Photothermal, Nonfluorinated Nanocarbon/Nonmetallic...

By mixing carbon nanotubes, carbon nanospheres, carborundum, or attapulgite into an ethanol system dissolved with dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa-acrylate, branched polyethylenimine, and tetradecylamine, the uncatalyzed one-step in situ reaction of a long-chain alkyl-containing polymer was produced on the above-blended matrices to construct a superhydrophobic, photothermal, nonfluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid material at room temperature. The optimal hybrid material-coated fabric had 155.0° contact angle and 2.0° sliding angle, and its surface temperature increased to 71.6 °C under irradiation (1 sun, 300 s); meanwhile, complete repellency of such a coating to 95 °C water was also reached (contact angle: 152.6°, sliding angle: 2.1°), affirming that a robust air layer, between the solid and liquid, existed in the coating product; given this, the above-mentioned coated fabric efficiently provided protective benefits, including icing delay, photothermal deicing, snow removal, hot-sewage repellency, and antimicrobial properties. Based on the substrate design idea, the poly(vinyl alcohol) sponge was used for coating with the self-manufactured anti-icing and hot sewage-repellent hybrid product to form a simple photothermal evaporator; its evaporation rates for desalinating simulated seawater and saliferous reactive textile-dyeing wastewater were 2.19 kg/m²h and 2.21 kg/m²h, respectively. Even when in contact with 95 °C acid dyeing residual liquor and 0 °C azoic dyeing residual liquor, this self-floating evaporator could achieve a remarkable purification treatment effect and always keep its Janus superwetting property. We believe that the easy preparation and performance enhancement strategy for superhydrophobic, photothermal, nonfluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid materials, based on synergy between hot-water repellency and substrate design, coincides with technology trends of cleaner production and function integration, which has important implications for exploiting wide-temperature range antiwetting, multipurpose products.