Silicone nanofilament embedded, superhydrophobic polylactic acid composite aerogel
Jie Xu, Stefan Seeger
Abstract
• Developed a novel superhydrophobic composite aerogel with embedded silicone nanofilaments. • Achieved stable superhydrophobicity (∼174.6° contact angle) after abrasion and corrosion. • Composite aerogel features ultralow density (48.08 mg/cm 3 ) and high porosity (95.58 %). • Enhanced mechanical properties and precise pore control in 3D hierarchical structures. • Exhibits ∼ 32 g/g −1 absorption capacity and > 97 % efficiency in oil–water separation. Traditional methods to achieve water repellency usually rely on surface coatings using materials of low surface tension; their poor mechanical durability makes them unable to maintain waterproofing performance once the coating wears off. Herein, we investigate the Silicone nanofilaments (SNFs)-a reinforced composite aerogel with superhydrophobicity extending throughout the entire material, maintaining a stable high water contact angle (174.63°), even after mechanical abrasion and chemical corrosion, and it exhibited improved compressive stress compared to the pristine polylactic acid (PLA) aerogel. SNFs are one-dimensional structures approximately 56 nm in diameter, renowned for their superhydrophobic coating on various substrates; they were prepared as an independent product in advance and embedded in a hierarchical porous PLA skeleton based on a facile mixture and dispersed method. A controllable pore size and designable micro-nano structure that can be easily adjusted by changing the amount of water and free SNFs. The prepared superhydrophobic SNFs embedded polylactic acid composite aerogel, with an ultralow density (48.08 mg/cm 3 ) and high porosity (95.58 %), demonstrates high absorption capacity (∼32 g/g −1 ), recyclability for oils and organic solvents, and separation efficiency of nearly 98 %. Moreover, its environmentally friendly, self-cleaning, and superhydrophobic properties are expected to facilitate broader applications across various fields.