title: Durable superoleophobic polypropylene surfaces.
abstract: Polypropylene (PP) is a popular plastic material used in consumer packaging. It would be desirable if such plastic containers were liquid repellent and not so easily fouled by their contents. Existing examples of superoleophobic surfaces typically rely on poorly adhered coatings or delicate surface structures, resulting in poor mechanical durability. Here, we report a facile method for creating superoleophobic PP surfaces via incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into the polymer surface. A solvent-NP-PP mixture was spin coated at high temperature to achieve the necessary roughness. Such surfaces were further functionalized with fluorosilane to result in a durable, super-repellent surface. They were also found to exhibit some repellency towards shampoos. This method of incorporating NPs into polymer surfaces could also prove useful in improving the anti-bacterial, mechanical and liquid-repellent properties of plastic devices.This article is part of the themed issue 'Bioinspired hierarchically structured surfaces for green science'.
authors.affiliation: Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- and Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLBB), The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1142, USA.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5390-5098
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- and Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLBB), The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1142, USA bhushan.2@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Bharat
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7161-6601
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bhushan
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008422:Materials Testing; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011126:Polypropylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D009821:Oils; D011126:Polypropylenes
keywords: bioinspired; nanoparticles; superhydrophobic; superoleophobic; superomniphobic; wear-resistant