Silicon carbide nanowire modified mullite fabric hierarchical structure applied as a stable and self-cleaning superhydrophobic material

Superhydrophobic materials have wide application potential in self-cleaning, anti/de-icing, anticorrosive and oil/water separation. A key challenge for superhydrophobic materials is insufficient stability under harsh conditions. Recently, ceramic materials have been used to prepare superhydrophobic materials due to their intrinsic chemical inertness, high mechanical properties and stability. Here, a stable nonfluorinated superhydrophobic mullite fabric modified by in situ growth of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires, dopamine and octadecylamine (ODA), was successfully prepared through a simple in situ growth and polymerization method. The modified mullite fabric exhibited repellency to water with a water contact angle (WCA) of more than 150° and a sliding angle (SA) of less than 10°. The modified mullite fabric showed excellent durability against mechanical abrasion while retaining the three-dimensional rough structure due to the SiC nanowires and dopamine anchoring of the ODA tightly onto the surface of SiC nanowires, thus sustaining superhydrophobicity. Moreover, the obtained mullite fabric maintained stable superhydrophobicity under severe environments, such as in corrosive solutions or in organic solvents. We believe that a facile, inexpensive and environmentally friendly approach and a high-performance superhydrophobic material could be applied for many important industrial applications.