Self-propelled Leidenfrost droplets on femtosecond-laser-induced surface with periodic hydrophobicity gradient

The controllable transfer of droplets on the surface of objects has a wide application prospect in the fields of microfluidic devices,fog collection and so on.The Leidenfrost effect can be utilized to significantly reduce motion resistance.However,the use of 3D structures limits the widespread application of self-propulsion based on Leidenfrost droplets in microelectromechanical system.To manipulate Leidenfrost droplets,it is necessary to create 2D or quasi-2D geometries.In this study,femtosecond laser is applied to fabricate a surface with periodic hydrophobicity gradient(SPHG),enabling directional self-propulsion of Leidenfrost droplets.Flow field analysis within the Leidenfrost droplets reveals that the vapor layer between the droplets and the hot surface can be modulated by the SPHG,resulting in directional propulsion of the inner gas.The viscous force between the gas and liquid then drives the droplet to move.

Reduced graphene oxide aerogel decorated with Mo_(2)C nanoparticles toward multifunctional properties of hydrophobicity,thermal insulation and microwave absorption

Reduced graphene oxide(rGO)aerogels are emerging as very attractive scaffolds for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption materials(EWAMs)due to their intrinsic conductive networks and intricate interior microstructure,as well as good compatibility with other electromagnetic(EM)components.Herein,we realized the decoration of rGO aerogel with Mo_(2)C nanoparticles by sequential hydrothermal assembly,freeze-drying,and high-temperature pyrolysis.Results show that Mo_(2)C nanoparticle loading can be easily controlled by the ammonium molybdate to glucose molar ratio.The hydrophobicity and thermal insulation of the rGO aerogel are effectively improved upon the introduction of Mo_(2)C nanoparticles,and more importantly,these nanoparticles regulate the EM properties of the rGO aerogel to a large extent.Although more Mo_(2)C nanoparticles may decrease the overall attenuation ability of the rGO aerogel,they bring much better impedance matching.At a molar ratio of 1:1,a desirable balance between attenuation ability and impedance matching is observed.In this context,the Mo_(2)C/r GO aerogel displays strong reflection loss and broad response bandwidth,even with a small applied thickness(1.7 mm)and low filler loading(9.0wt%).The positive effects of Mo_(2)C nanoparticles on multifunctional properties may render Mo_(2)C/r GO aerogels promising candidates for high-performance EWAMs under harsh conditions.

Temperature-induced hydrophobicity transition of MXene membrane for directly preparing W/O emulsions

Although hydrophilic membranes are desired for reducing resistance to water permeation, hydrophilic surfaces are not used in the water-in-oil(W/O) membrane emulsification process because water spreads on the hydrophilic surface without forming droplets. Here, we report that a hydrophilic ceramic membrane can form a hydrophobic interface in diesel at a higher temperature;interestingly, the experiments show that the contact angle increases when the temperature rises. The hydrophilic membrane surface evolves into a hydrophobic interface, particularly near the boiling point of water, resulting in a water contact angle of 147.5° ± 1.2°. This work established a method for preparing W/O monodispersed emulsions by direct emulsification of hydrophilic ceramic membranes at a temperature close to the boiling point of water.Additionally, it made high flux of membrane emulsification of monodispersed W/O emulsions possible,which satisfied the industrial requirements of fluidized catalytic cracking in the petrochemical industry.

Enhancing hydrophobicity via core-shell metal organic frameworks for high-humidity flue gas CO_(2) capture

Developing metal-organic framework(MOF)materials with the moisture-resistant feature is highly desirable for CO_(2)capture from highly humid flue gas.In this work,a new core-shell MOF@MOF composite using Mg-MOF-74 with high CO_(2)capture capacity as a functional core and hydrophobic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8)as a protective shell is fabricated by the epitaxial growth method.Experimental results show that the CO_(2)adsorption performance of the core-shell structured Mg-MOF-74@ZIF-8 composites from water-containing flue gas is enhanced along with their improved hydrophobicity.The dynamic breakthrough results show that the Mg-MOF-74@ZIF-8 with three assembled layers(Mg-MOF-74@ZIF-8-3)can capture 3.56 mmol-g^(-1)CO_(2)from wet CO_(2)/N_(2)(VCO_(2):V_(N_(2))=15:85)mixtures,which outperforms Mg-MOF-74(0.37 mmol·g^(-1))and most of the reported physisorbents.

HYDROPHOBICITY OF CONTAMINATED SILICONE RUBBER SURFACES

Silicone rubber (SIR) shows superior performance when used outdoors, but its surface can be transformed from inherently hydrophobic to hydrophilic by the adsorption of contaminants. Al(OH)(3), Al2O3, quartz powder and active carbon were selected as authentic contaminants. Hydrophobicity of the surface was determined using contact angle measurement. The results indicate that the adsorbability of the contaminants can strongly affect the hydrophobicity of contaminated SIR surface. The increasing rate of contact angle of specimens contaminated by Al(OH)(3) was much faster than that by Al2O3 and quartz due to the adsorption of migrated low molecular weight (LMW) polydimethylsiloxanes. Specimens contaminated by active carbon could achieve surface hydrophobicity within 15 min because active carbon has high adsorbability. Surfaces of contaminated ultrapure SIR, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and glass remain hydrophilic because they contain no mobile LMW components. The addition of oligomeric polydimethylsiloxanes has little effect on the hydrophobicity of contaminants covered on SIR surface.

Facile Fabrication of Cellulosic Paper-based Composites with Temperature-controlled Hydrophobicity and Excellent Mechanical Strength

In this paper,we presented a novel strategy to employ a plantderived carbohydrate polymer,i.e.,cellulose,to prepare a hydrophobic composite.Cellulose was used as a scaffold,and ethylene-propylene side by side(ES)fiber was thermally melted and then coated on the cellulose surface to achieve hydrophobicity.Experimental results revealed that the thermocoating ES fibers greatly increased the water contact angle of the cellulose scaffold from 25°to 153°while simultaneously enhanced the wet tensile strength of the composite approximately 6.7-fold(drying temperature of 170℃)compared with the pure cellulose paper.In particular,compared with other related research,the prepared cellulose-based composite possessed excellent hydrophobicity and superior mechanical strength,which introduces a new chemical engineering approach to prepare hydrophobic cellulose-based functional materials.

HYDROPHOBICITY－HYDROPHILICITY BALANCE RELATIONSHIPSFORCOLLECTORLESSFLOTATIONOFSULPHIDEMINERALS

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Effect of modifying agents on the hydrophobicity and yield of zinc borate synthesized by zinc oxide

The aim of this study was to synthesize zinc borate using zinc oxide, reference boric acid, and reference zinc borate （reference ZB） as the seed, and to investigate the effects of modifying agents and reaction parameters on the hydrophobicity and yield, respectively. The reaction parameters include reaction time （1-5 h）, reactant ratio （H3BO3/ZnO by mass： 2-5）, seed ratio （seed crystal/（H3BO3＋ZnO） by mass： 0-2wt%）, reaction temperature （50-120~C）, cooling temperature （10-80~C）, and stirring rate （400-700 r/min）; the modifying agents involve propylene glycol （PG, 0-6wt%）, kerosene （lwt%-6wt%）, and oleic acid （OA, lwt%-6wt%） with solvents （isopropyl alcohol （IPA）, ethanol, and methanol）. The results of reaction yield obtained from either magnetically or mechanically stirred systems were compared. Zinc borate produced was characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, and contact angle tests to identify the hydrophobicity. In conclusion, zinc borate is synthesized successfully under the optimized reaction conditions, and the different modifying agents with various solvents affect the hydrophobicity of zinc borate.

Plasma jet array treatment to improve the hydrophobicity of contaminated HTV silicone rubber

An atmospheric-pressure plasma jet array specially designed for HTV silicone rubber treatment is reported in this paper. Stable plasma containing highly energetic active particles was uniformly generated in the plasma jet array. The discharge pattern was affected by the applied voltage. The divergence phenomenon was observed at low gas flow rate and abated when the flow rate increased.Temperature of the plasma plume is close to room temperature which makes it feasible for temperature-sensitive material treatment. Hydrophobicity of contaminated HTV silicone rubber was significantly improved after quick exposure of the plasma jet array, and the effective treatment area reached 120 mm？×？50 mm（length？×？width）. Reactive particles in the plasma accelerate accumulation of the hydrophobic molecules, namely low molecular weight silicone chains, on the contaminated surface, which result in a hydrophobicity improvement of the HTV silicone rubber.

Synthesis, characterizations and hydrophobicity of micro/nano scaled heptadecafluorononanoic acid decorated copper nanoparticle

Copper nanoparticle was synthesized in the presence of heptadecafluorononanoic acid by the conventional solution immersion method at room temperature from the copper plate, as a resource material. The bulk etching rate was calculated by the weight loss method. The pale green colored Cu-HDFN was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and contact angle measurements and the results are critically analyzed.

Hydrophobicity changes of polluted silicone rubber introduced by spatial and dose distribution of plasma jet

The hydrophobicity of polluted silicone rubber was improved rapidly under plasma jet treatment.It is an important phenomenon of the interaction between the plasma jet and the porous surface,and shows a wide application prospect in the power system.In this process,the spatial characteristics and dose of plasma jet are very important.Therefore,the variation of hydrophobicity of polluted silicone rubber under plasma jet treatment was studied,and the spatial characteristics and dose of plasma jet on polluted silicone rubber were also investigated in the work.The results show that the surface property(hydrophilic or hydrophobic)depended on the dose of plasma applied to the surface.The effective treated area was a circle,and the contact angles changed along the radial direction of the circle.This was attributable to the diffusion of plasma bullets on the surface and the distribution of plasma species.The plasma dose could be characterized by the energy density of the plasma applied on the surface.With the increase of plasma dose,the surface contact angles first increased rapidly and then decreased gradually.

Ordered silicon nanorod arrays with controllable geometry and robust hydrophobicity

Highly ordered silicon nanorod（Si NR） arrays with controllable geometry are fabricated via nanosphere lithography and metal-assisted chemical etching. It is demonstrated that the key to achieving a high-quality metal mask is to construct a non-close-packed template that can be removed with negligible damage to the mask. Hydrophobicity of Si NR arrays of different geometries is also studied. It is shown that the nanorod structures are effectively quasi-hydrophobic with a contact angle as high as 142°, which would be useful in self-cleaning nanorod-based device applications.

Improvement of surface hydrophobicity on silicone rubber modified by CF_4 radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma

In order to improve the surface hydrophobicity, silicone rubber （SIR） samples were exposed to CF4 radio frequency （RF） capacitively coupled plasma （CCP）. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared （ATR-FTIR） spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） were used to observe the variation of the functional groups of the modified SIR. Static contact angle （SCA） was employed to estimate the change of hydrophobicity of the modified SIR. The surface energy of SIR is reduced largely from 27.37 mJ/m^2 of original SIR sample to 2.94 mJ/m^2 of SIR sample treated by CF4 CCP modification at RF power of 200 W for a treatment time of 5 rnin. According to the XPS, ATR-FTIR and surface energy analysis, it is suggested that the improvement of hydrophobicity on the modified SIR surface is mainly ascribed to the decrease of surface energy, which is caused by the cooperation of the fluosilicic structure of Si--F or Si--F2 and the fluoric groups of C--CFn induced by the methyl replacement reaction and residual methyl groups of SIR surface.

Improving Hydrophobicity of Glass Surface Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in industrial applications, especially in material surface treatment. In this paper, the treatment of a glass surface for improving hydrophobicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure in ambient air is conducted, and the surface properties of the glass before and after the DBD treatment are studied by using contact angle measurement, surface resistance measurement and wet flashover voltage tests. The effects of the applied voltage and time duration of DBD on the surface modification are studied, and the optimal conditions for the treatment are obtained. It is found that a layer of hydrophobic coating is formed on the glass surface after spraying a thin layer of silicone oil and undergoing the DBD treatment, and the improvement of hydrophobicity depends on DBD voltage and treating time. It seems that there exists an optimum treating time for a certain applied voltage of DBD during the surface treatment, The test results of thermal aging and chemical aging show that the hydrophobic layer has quite stable characteristics. The interaction mechanism between the DBD plasma and the glass surface is discussed. It is concluded that CHa and large molecule radicals can react with the radicals in the glass surface to replace OH, and the hydrophobicity of the glass surface is improved accordingly.

Hydrophobicity of Highly Ordered Nanorod Polycrystalline Nickel and Silver Surfaces

Highly ordered nickel and silver nanorods arrays prepared by alumina template assisted electrodeposition were investigated to determine the effect of the array geometry on metal surface hydrophobicity and adhesion forces. The nanorod geometry, clustering and pinning were used to characterize surface hydrophobicity and its modulation. A contribution of metal crystallographic orientation to the surface energy was calculated. To characterize nanorod array surface properties and elucidate the source of the particle adhesion effects has been calculated. The dispersive components of surface tension?γSD?and surface polarizability ks, as surface features that markedly characterize hydrophobicity and adhesion, were calculated. The highest hydrophobicity was found for Ag nanorods with aspect ratio of 10 then Ni nanorods with aspect ratio 10. The same geometry of nanorods particles resulted in different surface hydrophobicity and it was ascribed to the orientation of Ag and Ni crystals formed on the top of nanorods. Due to high hydrophobicity nanorod array surfaces could be used as an antifouling surface in medicine to select areas on implant surface not to be colonized by cells and tissues.

Simulation of Hydrophobicity Evaluation and Structural Optimization Design Method for Micro-Array Units

In recent years, researches published on hydrophobic materials increase rapidly, wherein the method for changing hydrophobicity by modifying a micro-array structure on the surface of the material also has been proposed. Of course, if it is possible for us to quantitatively analyse and evaluate hydrophobicity of different structures of one certain material at first, this task will greatly optimize the design of actual structures. In this work, we used the algorithm for Laminar Two-Phase Flow, Horizontal-set method integrated in COMSOL to build two single-pore simulation structures in different shapes and simulated the behaviour of the liquid transition from Cassie-state to Wenzel-state during the impregnation process. After that, the intrinsic contact angle of Structure T (a porous structure with a T-shaped sectional profile) was obtained under a certain pressure which maintained liquids in Cassie-state. Meanwhile, two equilibrium states of the liquid-air interface as well as two different patterns of the equilibrium state disrupting were found in Structure R (a porous structure with a Chamfered T-shaped sectional profile). Simulation results show that the modelling method can be applied for simulating the hydrophobicity of different porous structures and optimizing the procedures for the design of the micro-array efficiently.

Extrusion of Thermoplastic Starch: Effect of “Green” and Common Polyethylene on the Hydrophobicity Characteristics

Novel plastics that are biodegradable, environmentally benign, and made from renewable natural resources are currently being researched as alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. One such plastic, thermoplastic starch (TPS) is produced from starch processed at high temperatures in the presence of plasticizers, such as water and glycerol. However, because of its hydrophilic nature, TPS exhibits poor mechanical properties when exposed to environmental conditions, such as rain or humidity. The overall objective of this research work was to produce a thermoplastic starch based material with low water absorption that may be used to replace petroleum-based plastics. With a recent emergence of “green” polyethylene (GPE), sourced from renewable feedstock, it has become possible to develop novel biodegradable polymers for various applications. In this work, GPE was melt blended with starch in three different ways;reactive extrusion of GPE and starch facilitated by maleic anhydride (MAH) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP), melt blending of GPE and starch by extrusion, and melt blending of maleated polyethylene and starch by extrusion. Comprehensive testing and analysis has shown that all methods reduced water absorption significantly with some variations across the board.

Hydrophobicity gradient optimization of fuel cell gas diffusion media for its application in vehicles

During Fuel Cell Vehicle(FCV)operation,the liquid water in gas diffusion media(GDM)prevents the reaction gas from reaching the reaction zone and lead to output power fluctuation and reduce the lifespan of FCV.In the present research,hydrophobicity gradient settings of micro-porous layer(MPL)and gas diffusion layer(GDL)are optimized to improve the water removal ability of GDM.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)model is constructed for numerical simulations to analyze the fuel cell power output and the water content in the GDM with different hydrophobicity gradients.Experiments with different hydrophobicity gradients,which are specifically prepared with corresponding concentrations of polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)solutions,are conducted for validation of simulation results.It is shown that the positive hydrophobicity gradient of MPL and GDL provides a better capacity for water removal and oxygen transport.The contact angles of MPL and GDL are further optimized as 147.9°-138.6°by genetic algorithm integrated with the CFD simulations.

Hydrophobicity and tribological properties of Al_(2)O_(3)/PTFE composite coating

Al_(2)O_(3)/polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)composite coating was prepared on titanium alloy by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition(CPED)and impregnation method,to improve the hydrophobicity and tribological properties.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)analysis of the coating indicate that PTFE penetrates into the interior of the coating and is well bonded to titanium alloy substrate by cross-linking with Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic coating.The contact angles were measured by contact angle measurement,and the tribological properties of the composite coating were evaluated by sliding wear test.The surface of the composite coating is found to possess good hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 140°.The results also indicate an improved tribological properties of Al_(2)O_(3)/PTFE composite coating at room temperature with a steady friction coefficient as low as 0.05.The self-lubricating anti-wear composite coating is expected to solve fouling problems and poor wear resistance of titanium alloys.

Benzenesulfonic acid-grafted UIO-66 with improved hydrophobicity as a stable Brønsted acid catalyst

Hydrothermal and catalytic stability of UIO-66 MOFs with defective structures are critical aspects to be considered in their catalytic applications,especially under the conditions involving water,moisture and/or heat.Here,we report a facile strategy to introduce the macromolecular acid group to UIO-66 to improve the stability of the resulting UIO-66−PhSO3H MOF in aqueous phase catalysis.In detail,UIO-66−PhSO3H was obtained by grafting benzenesulfonic acid on the surface of the pristine UIO-66 to introduce the hydrophobicity,as well as the Brønsted acidity,then assessed using catalytic hydrolysis of cyclohexyl acetate(to cyclohexanol)in water.The introduction of hydrophobic molecules to UIO-66 could prevent the material from being attacked by hydroxyl polar molecules effectively,explaining its good structural stability during catalysis.UIO-66−PhSO3H promoted the conversion of cyclohexyl acetate at ca.87%,and its activity and textural properties were basically intact after the cyclic stability tests.The facile modification strategy can improve the hydrothermal stability of UIO-66 significantly,which can expand its catalytic applications in aqueous systems.