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Fabrication of superhydrophobic fiber coatings by DC‐biased AC‐electrospinning
Author(s) -
Ochanda Fredrick O.,
Samaha Mohamed A.,
Tafreshi Hooman Vahedi,
Tepper Gary C.,
GadelHak Mohamed
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.34583
Subject(s) - materials science , electrospinning , composite material , contact angle , porosity , polystyrene , polymer , fabrication , fiber , drag , surface energy , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , pathology , thermodynamics
Mesh‐like fiber mats of polystyrene (PS) were deposited using DC‐biased AC‐electrospinning. Superhydrophobic surfaces with water contact angles greater than 150° and gas fraction values of up to 97% were obtained. Rheological study was conducted on these fiber surfaces and showed a decrease in shear stress when compared with a noncoated surface (no slip), making them excellent candidates for applications requiring the reduction of skin‐friction drag in submerged surfaces. We have also shown that addition of a second, low‐surface energy polymer to a solution of PS can be used to control the fiber internal porosity depending on the concentration of the second polymer. Contact‐angle measurements on mats consisting of porous and nonporous fibers have been used to evaluate the role of the larger spaces between the fibers and the pores on individual fibers on superhydrophobicity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011