Wettability of poly(3-alkyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) fibrous structures forming nanoporous, microporous or micro/nanostructured networks

• Control of the surface porosity by electropolymerization.
• Control with the length of an alkyl chain.
• Influence of the surface structures on the hydrophobicity.

We report the synthesis and characterization of 3-alkyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) of various alkyl chain lengths, their electropolymerization by cyclic voltammetry and the characterization of the surface morphology and wettability of the corresponding conducting polymers. We show the possible control of the fiber assembly in order to form nanoporous, microporous or micro/nanostructured networks with controllable water adhesion. The control is performed by the lengthening of the alkyl chain (n) of the monomers: nanoporous for n ≤ 3, microporous for 3 < n ≤ 8 and micro/nanostructured for n > 8. First of all, superhydrophobic properties with low hysteresis (H = 6.1°) and sliding angle (α = 4.8°) for n = 10 (Cassie–Baxter state) are reported. Otherwise, the presence of the fibrous structures leads to highly hydrophobic properties with high adhesion even if the polymer is hydrophilic. Such materials can be applied for various applications such as in anti-bioadhesion.

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