Synthesis and characterisation of superhydrophobic CNC/ZnO nanocomposites by using stearic acid

The synthesis of superhydrophobic materials by using inorganic materials and organic renewable materials is a hot topic in academic research. At present, the methods used to prepare superhydrophobic composites are complicated and the hydrophobic modifiers used are expensive. The authors report a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of superhydrophobic composites. At the beginning, the cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by mechanical blending method, and the surface micro–nano rough structure was constructed. Then the superhydrophobic CNC/ZnO nanocomposites were obtained by hydrophobic modification with cheap low surface energy substance. The results demonstrate that the inorganic–organic nanocomposites have excellent superhydrophobic properties, which indicates that the inorganic–organic nanocomposites have potential applications as hydrophobic additives in coatings and other fields.