Facile fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface from natural<i>Eucommia</i>rubber

Abstract

In this study, we introduce a fabrication method for a superhydrophobic surface made from natural Eucommia rubber. Based on the Eucommia rubber extract solution, we prepared a type of superhydrophobic material using the simple phase separation method and the addition of a low-surface-energy substance method, thus developing a new approach for the application of natural Eucommia rubber. The experimental results showed that a superhydrophobic film could be obtained by both the addition of acetone and induction by water vapor. Additionally, the film exhibited properties closely related to the crystalline Eucommia rubber spherical particles with a hierarchical structure. The addition of hydrophobic silica also increased the hydrophobic property of the Eucommia rubber film. When the content of the silica was 4% (wt%), the contact angle of the composite film reached 160.7°, which could be attributed to the properties of the nano-silica and the micro-nano structure of the composites. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.