Bioinspired Multifunctional Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Carbon-Nanotube-Based Conducting Pastes by Facile and Scalable Printing.
Directly printed superhydrophobic surfaces containing conducting nanomaterials can be used for a wide range of applications in terms of nonwetting, anisotropic wetting, and electrical conductivity. Here, we demonstrated that direct-printable and flexible superhydrophobic surfaces were fabricated on flexible substrates via with an ultrafacile and scalable screen printing with carbon nanotube (CNT)-based conducting pastes. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) copolymer was used as an additive for conducting pastes to realize the printability of the conducting paste as well as the hydrophobicity of the printed surface. The screen-printed conducting surfaces showed a high water contact angle (WCA) (>150°) and low contact angle hysteresis (WCA < 5°) at 25 wt % PDMS-PEG copolymer in the paste, and they have an electrical conductivity of over 1000 S m-1. Patterned superhydrophobic surfaces also showed sticky superhydrophobic characteristics and were used to transport water droplets. Moreover, fabricated films on metal meshes were used for an oil/water separation filter, and liquid evaporation behavior was investigated on the superhydrophobic and conductive thin-film heaters by applying direct current voltage to the film.
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.|Department of Electro-Functionality Material Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST) , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Joong Tark
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3351-3975
JT
Han
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Byung Kuk
BK
Kim
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Jong Seok
JS
Woo
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Jeong In
JI
Jang
Department of Electro-Functionality Material Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST) , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Joon Young
JY
Cho
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Hee Jin
HJ
Jeong
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Seung Yol
SY
Jeong
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Seon Hee
SH
Seo
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute , Changwon 51543, Republic of Korea.
Geon-Woong
GW
Lee
carbon nanotubes; conducting paste; direct printing; multifunctionality; patterning; superhydrophobic