title: Electrospun poly(styrene-block-dimethylsiloxane) block copolymer fibers exhibiting superhydrophobicity.
abstract: Block copolymer poly(styrene-b-dimethylsiloxane) fibers with submicrometer diameters in the range 150-400 nm were produced by electrospinning from solution in tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide. Contact angle measurements indicate that the nonwoven fibrous mats are superhydrophobic, with a contact angle of 163 degrees and contact angle hysteresis of 15 degrees . The superhydrophobicity is attributed to the combined effects of surface enrichment in siloxane as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface roughness of the electrospun mat itself. Additionally, the fibers are shown by transmission electron microscopy to exhibit microphase-separated internal structures. Calorimetric studies confirm the strong segregation between the polystyrene and poly(dimethylsiloxane) blocks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA.
authors.forename: Minglin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Randal M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lowery
authors.forename: Sergey V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Fridrikh
authors.forename: Gregory C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rutledge