Robust Superamphiphobic Film from Electrospun TiO2 Nanostructures

Rice-shaped TiO2 nanostructures are fabricated by electrospinning for creating a robust superamphiphobic coating on glass substrates. The as-fabricated TiO2 nanostructures (sintered at 500 degrees C) are superhydrophilic in nature which upon silanization turn into superamphiphobic surface with surface contact angle (SCA) values achieved using water (surface tension, gamma = 72.1 mN/m) and hexadecane (surface tension, gamma = 27.5 mN/m) being 166 degrees and 138.5 degrees, respectively. The contact angle hysteresis for the droplet of water and hexadecane are measured to be 2 and 12 degrees, respectively. Thus, we have successfully fabricated superior self-cleaning coatings that possess exceptional superamphiphobic property by employing a simple, cost-effective, and scalable technique called electrospinning. Furthermore, the coating showed good mechanical and thermal stability with strong adherence to glass surface, thus revealing the potential for real applications.