Submit to Polymers Review for Polymers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Fibers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 15244

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xin Ning

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Industrial Research Institute of Nonwovens and Technical Textiles, Colleage of Textiles & Clothing, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: super-hydrophobic; surface tension; surface modification; interfacial wettability; separation; functional fabrics; amphoteric

Dr. Fuxing Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Colleage of Textiles & Clothing, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: super-hydrophobic; surface tension; surface modification; interfacial wettability; separation; functional fabrics; amphoteric

Prof. Dr. Xianfeng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: super-hydrophobic; surface tension; surface modification; interfacial wettability; separation; functional fabrics; amphoteric

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional fabrics and composite structures continue to extend the characteristics and applications of fiber-based materials. Hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic properties provide valuable enhancement to the substrate fabrics in interactions with their environment. These may include the fabrics as barriers to aqueous fluids, as separation media in forced flow situations and as protective layers to hostile environment. Recent years have witnessed a diverse progress in the study of this class of materials and new applications. A collection of relevant research and development work may therefore further help the understanding and creation of simple or more sophisticated systems and facilitate their fabrication. The aim for this special edition is to foster a more efficient, rational, cross-discipline and economical design of new structures and processes based on our understanding of the state-of-the-art in this fascinating technical field.

This Special Issue of Polymers invites contributions addressing various aspects of making and using super-hydrophobic fabrics. The content will cover the synthesis and modifications of super-hydrophobic fibrous materials, the mechanism or source of their super-hydrophobicity, and their applications. Also of great interest are their micro or nano structures in a porous substrate, and their interactions with aqueous or other fluidic media and with the cellular/molecular components therein. The applications of these super-hydrophobic systems may be in environmental oil-water separation, waterproof and breathable fabrics, water filtration and/or in biomedical interactions. This outline is only indicative; any theoretical or experimental research or review articles on Super-hydrophobicity are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Xin Ning
Dr. Fuxing Chen
Prof. Dr. Xianfeng Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

super-hydrophobic
surface tension
surface modification
interfacial wettability
separation
functional fabrics
amphoteric
Janus fabrics

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 2938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Single-Side Superhydrophobicity in Si₃N₄-Doped and SiO₂-Treated Polypropylene Nonwoven Webs with Antibacterial Activity

by Ming-Chao Han, Shun-Zhong Cai, Ji Wang and Hong-Wei He

Polymers 2022, 14(14), 2952; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14142952 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 2321

Abstract

Meltblown (MB) nonwovens as air filter materials have played an important role in protecting people from microbe infection in the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic enters the third year in this current global event, it becomes more and more beneficial to develop more functional MB nonwovens with special surface selectivity as well as antibacterial activities. In this article, an antibacterial polypropylene MB nonwoven doped with nano silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), one of ceramic materials, was developed. With the introduction of Si₃N₄, both the average diameter of the fibers and the pore diameter and porosity of the nonwovens can be tailored. Moreover, the nonwovens having a single-side moisture transportation, which would be more comfortable in use for respirators or masks, was designed by imparting a hydrophobicity gradient through the single-side superhydrophobic finishing of reactive organic/inorganic silicon coprecipitation in situ. After a nano/micro structural SiO₂ precipitation on one side of the fabric surfaces, the contact angles were up to 161.7° from 141.0° originally. The nonwovens were evaluated on antibacterial activity, the result of which indicated that they had a high antibacterial activity when the dosage of Si₃N₄ was 0.6 wt%. The bacteriostatic rate against E. coli and S. aureus was up to over 96%. Due to the nontoxicity and excellent antibacterial activity of Si₃N₄, this MB nonwovens are promising as a high-efficiency air filter material, particularly during the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 5561 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterizing the Bounce and Separation Dynamics of Janus Drop on Macrotextured Surface

by WooSeok Choi and Sungchan Yun

Polymers 2022, 14(12), 2322; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14122322 - 08 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1316

Abstract

Janus drops are thermodynamically stable when a high-viscosity fluid is imposed on a low-viscosity fluid. To understand physical mechanisms in Janus drop impact on macrotextured surfaces, several challenges in finding parameters or strategies still remain. Here, this study investigates the asymmetric bounce and separation of impinging Janus drops on non-wettable surfaces decorated with a macroridge to explore the effect of the drop size, viscosity ratio, and ridge size on the dynamics. Through numerical simulations, we determine the threshold Weber number, above which separation occurs, by varying drop diameters and viscosity ratios of the Janus drops. We investigate the initial bouncing directions of separated drops as a function of the impact velocity and viscosity ratio. We also predict how the separation efficiency is affected by the ridge’s height and width. The asymmetric impact dynamics of Janus drops on macrotextured surfaces can provide new strategies to control drop bouncing in applications, such as liquid separation and purification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 6304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Facile Preparation of Hydrophobic PLA/PBE Micro-Nanofiber Fabrics via the Melt-Blown Process for High-Efficacy Oil/Water Separation

by Han Li, Heng Zhang, Jun-Jie Hu, Guo-Feng Wang, Jing-Qiang Cui, Yi-Feng Zhang and Qi Zhen

Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1667; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14091667 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2472

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) micro-nanofiber fabrics with a large specific surface area and excellent biodegradability are commonly used in oil/water separation; however, challenges remain due to their poor mechanical properties. Herein, a thermoplastic polylactic acid/propylene-based elastomer (PLA/PBE) polymer was prepared by blending PLA with PBE. Then, PLA/PBE micro-nanofiber fabrics were successfully prepared using a melt-blown process. The results show that the PLA/PBE micro-nanofiber fabric has a three-dimensional porous structure, improving the thermal stability and fluidity of the PLA/PBE blended polymers. The PLA/PBE micro-nanofiber fabric demonstrated a significantly reduced average fiber diameter and an enhanced breaking strength. Moreover, the water contact angle of the prepared samples is 134°, which suggests a hydrophobic capacity. The oil absorption rate of the fabric can reach 10.34, demonstrating excellent oil/water separation performance. The successful preparation of PLA/PBE micro-nanofiber fabrics using our new method paves the way for the large-scale production of promising candidates for high-efficacy oil/water separation applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 7459 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Stable POSS-Based Superhydrophobic Textiles Using Thiol–Ene Click Chemistry

by Baoliang Wang, Lili Xing, Tieling Xing and Guoqiang Chen

Polymers 2022, 14(7), 1426; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14071426 - 31 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2147

Abstract

In this study, a superhydrophobic fabric was synthesized by modifying the fiber’s surface with dopamine-containing hydroxyl functional groups. Furthermore, we introduced mercapto-based functional groups by the hydrolysis of mercaptopropylmethyldimethoxysilane (MPMDS) and finally grafted POSS and mercaptans using a thiol–ene click reaction. These processes generated a superhydrophobic fabric with a static contact and a sliding angle of 162° and 8°, respectively. The superhydrophobic fabric’s compact and regular micro-nano rough structure based on POSS and mercaptans provides stable fastness and durability, as well as high resistance to organic solvents, acid–base environments, mechanical abrasion, UV rays, and washing. Moreover, it can be used for self-cleaning and oil–water separation, and it has a wide range of applications in the coating industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 4899 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Viscosity on Bouncing Dynamics of Elliptical Footprint Drops on Non-Wettable Ridged Surfaces

by Sungchan Yun

Polymers 2021, 13(24), 4296; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13244296 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1820

Abstract

An initial drop shape can alter the bouncing dynamics and significantly decrease the residence time on superhydrophobic surfaces. Elliptical footprint drops show asymmetric dynamics owing to a pronounced flow driven by the initial drop shape. However, the fundamental understanding of the effect of viscosity on the asymmetric dynamics has yet to be investigated, although viscous liquid drop impact on textured surfaces is of scientific and industrial importance. Here, the current study focuses on the impact of elliptical footprint drops with various liquid properties (density, surface tension, and viscosity), drop sizes, and impact velocities to study the bouncing dynamics and residence time on non-wettable ridged surfaces numerically by using a volume-of-fluid method. The underlying mechanism behind the variation in residence time is interpreted by analyzing the shape evolution, and the results are discussed in terms of the spreading, retraction, and bouncing. This study provides an insight on possible outcomes of viscous drops impinging on non-wettable surfaces and will help to design the desired spraying devices and macro-textured surfaces under different impact conditions, such as icephobic surfaces for freezing rain or viscous liquids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

36 pages, 3738 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on Nanocellulose and Superhydrophobic Features for Advanced Water Treatment

by Danish Iqbal, Yintao Zhao, Renhai Zhao, Stephen J. Russell and Xin Ning

Polymers 2022, 14(12), 2343; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14122343 - 09 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3840

Abstract

Globally, developing countries require access to safe drinking water to support human health and facilitate long-term sustainable development, in which waste management and control are critical tasks. As the most plentiful, renewable biopolymer on earth, cellulose has significant utility in the delivery of potable water for human consumption. Herein, recent developments in the application of nanoscale cellulose and cellulose derivatives for water treatment are reviewed, with reference to the properties and structure of the material. The potential application of nanocellulose as a primary component for water treatment is linked to its high aspect ratio, high surface area, and the high number of hydroxyl groups available for molecular interaction with heavy metals, dyes, oil-water separation, and other chemical impurities. The ability of superhydrophobic nanocellulose-based textiles as functional fabrics is particularly acknowledged as designed structures for advanced water treatment systems. This review covers the adsorption of heavy metals and chemical impurities like dyes, oil-water separation, as well as nanocellulose and nanostructured derivative membranes, and superhydrophobic coatings, suitable for adsorbing chemical and biological pollutants, including microorganisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Super-hydrophobic Fabrics and Their Applications in Separation Media)

► Show Figures