Influence of Electrospun Morphology on Superhydrophobicity

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Abstract

Superhydrophobic surface have drawn considerable attention due to its applicability to protective and self-cleaning textiles. Generally, creating fine roughness on hydrophobic materials is an effective way of fabricating repellent surfaces. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of surface morphology and surface energy on the repellency (or wettability). To this end, PS nanowebs in various fiber morphologies were fabricated by varying the electrospinning conditions. Electrospinning with the varied polymer concentration and solvent mixture generated different surface morphologies, such as beads, wrinkles, and smooth fibers. A smooth PS film showed CA of 95Ëš; compared to the film's CA, CAs on an electrospun web were apparently increased, due to the increased roughness of the web for a hydrophobic PS material. It was concluded that introducing surface roughness on an oxidized PS surface (hydrophilic) enhanced the surface wettability, while the roughness on a hydrophobized surface enhanced the surface repellency.

How to Cite:

Yuan, Y., Choi, S. & Kim, J., (2016) “Influence of Electrospun Morphology on Superhydrophobicity”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 73(1).