Study on superhydrophobic hybrids fabricated from multiwalled carbon nanotubes and stearic acid

A waterproof biomaterial, stearic acid (STA), which is one of components of the wax present on the lotus leaf surface, was used as the material with low surface energy to fabricate superhydrophobic multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrids through a solution method. This method involved preparation of a sodium stearate (SST)-stabilized MWCNT dispersion, followed by a precipitating process. STA was assembled on the MWCNT-SST hybrid surface by a reaction of SST with acetic acid. The rough surface with multiscale protuberances was revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of SST/MWCNT weight ratio on water contact angle (CA) and the temperature dependence and alkali resistance of superhydrophobicity of MWCNT hybrids have been investigated. With increasing the SST/MWCNT weight ratio, the water CA of MWCNT hybrid increased and then decreased after a maximum value of 163 degrees at the ratio of 1/1. It was interesting that the wetting property of MWCNT hybrids (SST/MWCNT=0.5/1 and 1/1) was tunable between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity by changing temperature. Potential applications of these superhydrophobic materials to make large-area superhydrophobic coatings have been proposed.