Microstructured rubber and its wettability
Microstructured rubber and its wettability
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DOI：
10.1038/s41428-019-0192-5
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发表时间：
2019-08
期刊：
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Y. Hirai;H. Mayama;Riku Tamura;Y. Matsuo;T. Okamatsu;T. Arita;M. Shimomura
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Y. Hirai;H. Mayama;Riku Tamura;Y. Matsuo;T. Okamatsu;T. Arita;M. Shimomura
微结构表面在许多实际应用中引起了相当大的关注，例如超疏水材料。基于微结构表面的超疏水材料在日常应用中的关键问题是其耐久性，因为大多数微结构都是由坚硬易碎的材料制备的，并且很容易被机械破坏。在这项研究中，我们重点研究了硫化橡胶作为一种柔性和耐用的疏水材料，用于制造微结构表面。利用硅微模和紧凑型热压设备，以硫化橡胶为原料制备了超疏水尖状微结构。由于硫化橡胶的弹性，通过反复拉伸，橡胶表面的尖刺排列可以发生可逆变形，而不会破坏尖刺的微观结构。表面润湿性受针尖排列的影响，可以通过拉伸和伸长程度来控制。考虑到水渗透到尖状微结构之间的缝隙中，从Cassie-Baxter到Wenzel状态的润湿性转变从理论上解释了这一现象。结果表明，微结构硫化橡胶表面由于其微结构所产生的优越功能，可以广泛应用于各种领域。
Microstructured surfaces have been attracting a considerable amount of attention for many practical applications, such as superhydrophobic materials. The key issue in everyday applications of superhydrophobic materials based on microstructured surfaces is their durability because most microstructures are prepared with stiff and fragile materials and are easily broken mechanically. In this study, we focused on vulcanized rubber as a flexible and durable hydrophobic material for the fabrication of microstructured surfaces. Superhydrophobic spiky microstructures were simply prepared from vulcanized rubber by using a silicon micromold and compact hot-press equipment. Owing to the elasticity of the vulcanized rubber, the spike-array arrangements on the rubber surface were reversibly deformed by repeated stretching without destruction of the spiky microstructures. Surface wettability was affected by the spike-array arrangements, which can be controlled by stretching concomitantly with the degree of elongation. This phenomenon was theoretically explained by the wettability transition from a Cassie–Baxter to a Wenzel state considering water penetration into the gaps among the spiky microstructures. The results indicated that microstructured vulcanized rubber surfaces can be applicable to a wide variety of fields because of the superior functions derived from their microstructures.