Polymer having superhydrophobic surface

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a superhydrophobic surface. Methods of fabrication are disclosed including laminating a polymer sheet having a surface to a template having a textured surface or a layer of a nanomaterial (e.g., nanoparticles or nanofibers) to convert the surface of the polymer sheet to a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of at least about 150°.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for forming a surface, the method comprising steps of applying first nanoparticles to a surface of a polymer; and
 laminating the first nanoparticles to the surface under a predetermined set of conditions such that at least some of the first nanoparticles are partially embedded in the surface and partially exposed on the surface.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the step of laminating laminates the polymer with a template having a textured surface, the surface of the polymer facing the textured surface of the template, the method further comprising separating the polymer from the template, to provide a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of at least about 150°. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the template forms a plurality of protrusions in the polymer during the step of laminating, the plurality of protrusions comprising two neighboring protrusions separated by a groove, the two neighboring protrusions being separated by a distance of at least about 5 micrometers and less than about 500 micrometer. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first nanoparticles are hydrophobic and the surface is superhydrophobic having a contact angle of at least 150°. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1  where the first nanoparticles are photocatalytic and the surface exhibits photocatalytic properties. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , the method further comprising applying second nanoparticles, wherein the first nanoparticle is hydrophobic and the second nanoparticle is catalytic and wherein the first and second nanoparticle are disposed in different areas on the surface and where the surface exhibits both superhydrophobicity and catalytic activity. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a thermoset polymer. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying applies the first nanoparticles to the surface in a solid form. 
     
     
         10 . A method for forming a surface, the method comprising steps of applying first inorganic nanoparticles to a surface of a polymer; and
 laminating the first inorganic nanoparticles to the surface under a predetermined set of conditions such that at least some of the first inorganic nanoparticles are partially embedded in the surface and partially exposed on the surface to provide multi-level hierarchical structures formed from agglomerates of the first inorganic nanoparticles, where the multi-level hierarchical structures range in size from 20 nanometers to 100 microns.   
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , where the first inorganic nanoparticles are photocatalytic and the surface exhibits photocatalytic properties. 
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the step of laminating laminates the polymer with a template having a textured surface, the surface of the polymer facing the textured surface of the template, the method further comprising separating the polymer from the template, to provide a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of at least about 150°. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the multi-level hierarchical structures comprise first structures with heights between 20 nm and 100 nm, second structures with heights between 100 nm and 300 nm, and third structures with heights between 300 nm and 3 microns. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , the method further comprising applying second nanoparticles, wherein the first inorganic nanoparticles are hydrophobic and the second nanoparticles are catalytic and wherein the first inorganic nanoparticles and the second nanoparticles are disposed in different areas on the surface and where the surface exhibits both superhydrophobicity and catalytic activity. 
     
     
         15 . A method for forming a superhydrophobic surface, the method comprising steps of
 applying metal oxide nanoparticles to a surface of a polymer; and   laminating the metal oxide nanoparticles to the surface under a predetermined set of conditions such that at least some of the metal oxide nanoparticles are partially embedded in the surface and partially exposed on the surface to provide multi-level hierarchical structures formed from agglomerates of the metal oxide nanoparticles, where the multi-level hierarchical structures range in size from 20 nanometers to 100 microns, thereby providing a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of at least about 150°.   
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of silica nanoparticles, titanium oxide nanoparticles, zinc oxide nanoparticles and vanadium oxide nanoparticles. 
     
     
         17 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the polymer is a thermoset polymer. 
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the step of applying applies the first nanoparticles to the surface in a solid form. 
     
     
         20 . A method for forming a superhydrophobic surface, the method comprising steps of
 applying a template to a surface of a polymer, the template having a textured surface; and   laminating the template to the surface under a predetermined set of conditions such that at least some of the template is partially embedded in the surface;   separating the polymer from the template, to provide a hydrophobic surface having a water contact angle of at least about 150°.