Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati , Kamrup, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India.
Biomaterial and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati , Guwahati, Assam 781035, India.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Dec 6;9(48):42354-42365. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b14028. Epub 2017 Nov 21.
Artificial bioinspired superhydrophobicity, which is generally developed through appropriate optimization of chemistry and hierarchical topography, is being recognized for its immense prospective applications related to environment and healthcare. Nevertheless, the weak interfacial interactions that are associated with the fabrication of such special interfaces often provide delicate biomimicked wettability, and the embedded antifouling property collapses on exposure to harsh and complex aqueous phases and also after regular physical deformations, including bending, creasing, etc. Eventually, such materials with potential antifouling property became less relevant for practical applications. Here, a facile, catalyst-free, and robust 1,4-conjugate addition reaction has been strategically exploited for appropriate covalent integration of modified graphene oxide to developing polymeric materials with (1) tunable mechanical properties and (2) durable antifouling property, which are capable of performing both in air and under oil. Furthermore, this approach provided a facile basis for (3) engineering a superhydrophobic monolith into arbitrary free-standing shapes and (4) decorating various flexible (metal, synthetic plastic, etc.) and rigid (glass, wood, etc.) substrates with thick and durable three-dimensional superhydrophobic coatings. The synthesized superhydrophobic monoliths and polymeric coatings with controlled mechanical properties are appropriate to withstand different physical insults, including twisting, creasing, and even physical erosion of the material, without compromising the embedded antiwetting property. The materials are also equally resistant to various harsh chemical environments, and the embedded antifouling property remained unperturbed even after continuous exposure to extremes of pH (pH 1 and pH 11), artificial sea water for a minimum of 30 days. These flexible and formable free-standing monoliths and stable polymeric coatings that are extremely water-repellent both in air and under oil, are of utmost importance owing to their suitability in practical circumstances and robust nature.
人工仿生超疏水性通常通过适当优化化学和分层形貌来开发，由于其与环境和医疗保健相关的巨大潜在应用而受到关注。然而，制造这种特殊界面所涉及的界面相互作用力较弱，往往提供了微妙的仿生润湿性，而嵌入的防污性能在暴露于苛刻和复杂的水相以及常规物理变形（包括弯曲、起皱等）后会崩溃。最终，具有潜在防污性能的此类材料在实际应用中变得不那么相关。在这里，我们巧妙地利用了一种简单、无催化剂且稳健的 1,4-共轭加成反应，将改性氧化石墨烯进行适当的共价整合，从而开发出具有（1）可调节机械性能和（2）持久防污性能的聚合物材料，这些材料既能在空气中又能在油中发挥作用。此外，这种方法为（3）将超疏水单体工程化为任意独立的形状和（4）在各种柔性（金属、合成塑料等）和刚性（玻璃、木材等）基底上涂覆厚而持久的三维超疏水涂层提供了一种简单的基础。所合成的具有可控机械性能的超疏水单体和聚合物涂层能够承受不同的物理冲击，包括扭曲、起皱甚至材料的物理侵蚀，而不会损害嵌入的防湿性能。这些材料也同样能抵抗各种恶劣的化学环境，即使在极端 pH（pH 值为 1 和 11）和人工海水环境中连续暴露至少 30 天后，嵌入的防污性能也不会受到干扰。这些灵活且可成型的独立单体和稳定的聚合物涂层在空气和油中都具有极强的疏水性，由于其在实际情况下的适用性和稳健性，因此极为重要。
