A Facile and Strategic Approach to Superhydrophobic Fibrous Structure with Biaxially Aligned Electrospun Porous Fibers

Zhang, Yi1; Li, Yifu1; Huang, Yunqiao1; Zuo, Zhigang2; Musselman, Kevin1; Duan, Xiaoming3; Yu, Hesheng1,4; Xu, Zhenghe5; Tan, Zhongchao1,2

2023-09-01

10.1002/admi.202300507

ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES   Impact Factor & Quartile

2196-7350

["Electrospun fibrous structures can be developed superhydrophobic while remaining breathable. However, current electrospinning-based methods for developing superhydrophobicity require complex fabrication processes and multiple raw materials, lacking a facile approach to superhydrophobicity using electrospun fibers. Inspired by a cultural relic known as Plain Gauze Gown, a fibrous structure consisting two layers of porous fibers aligned in warp and weft directions by simple electrospinning is developed. Through investigation of wetting behavior, an unique Cassie-Baxter-\"restoring\" (CaRe) wetting contributing to a stable Cassie-Baxter state is unveiled in the developed structure. The CaRe wetting ensures that droplet stays on the upper-layer fibers even at a sparse inter-fiber distance, enabling strategically reaching superhydrophobicity by lowering structure solidity. Remarkably, the developed structure with water contact angle between 159 & DEG; and 162 & DEG; and roll-off angle from 10 & DEG; to 3 & DEG; has a water vapor transmission rate of 20.8 kg m-2 d-1, which is the highest value among all superhydrophobic electrospun structures reported, and it is also waterproof and semi-transparent. These features make the structure suitable for a wide range of applications, including developing waterproof, breathable, and superhydrophobic membrane with simple preparation and low cost, and as a surface layer for wearable electronics that facilitates sweat evaporation and prevents water intrusion.","Inspired by a Chinese cultural relic known as Plain Gauze Gown, this work develops a fibrous structure consisting of two layers of porous fibers aligned in warp and weft directions by electrospinning. A unique Cassie-Baxter-\"restoring\" wetting contributing to a stable Cassie-Baxter state is unveiled. Remarkably, the developed structure is not only superhydrophobic, but also breathable, waterproof, and semi-transparent.image"]

biaxial alignment breathability porous fibers superhydrophobicity thermodynamics

SCI

English

Others

Chemistry ; Materials Science

Chemistry, Multidisciplinary ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

WOS:001060851000001

WILEY

Web of Science

1.Univ Waterloo, Dept Mech & Mechatron Engn, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
2.Tsinghua Univ, Dept Energy & Power Engn, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China
3.Hunan Museum, Changsha 410005, Hunan, Peoples R China
4.China Univ Min & Technol, Sch Chem Engn & Technol, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu, Peoples R China
5.Southern Univ Sci & Technol China, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China

Zhang, Yi,Li, Yifu,Huang, Yunqiao,et al. A Facile and Strategic Approach to Superhydrophobic Fibrous Structure with Biaxially Aligned Electrospun Porous Fibers[J]. ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES,2023.

Zhang, Yi.,Li, Yifu.,Huang, Yunqiao.,Zuo, Zhigang.,Musselman, Kevin.,...&Tan, Zhongchao.(2023).A Facile and Strategic Approach to Superhydrophobic Fibrous Structure with Biaxially Aligned Electrospun Porous Fibers.ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES.

Zhang, Yi,et al."A Facile and Strategic Approach to Superhydrophobic Fibrous Structure with Biaxially Aligned Electrospun Porous Fibers".ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES (2023).