Fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface on a wood substrate

A layer of lamellar superhydrophobic coating was fabricated on a wood surface through a wet chemical process. The superhydrophobic property of the wood surface was measured by contact angle (CA) measurements. The microstructure and chemical composition of the superhydrophobic coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). An analytical characterization revealed that the microscale roughness of the lamellar particles was uniformly distributed on the wood surface and that a zinc stearate monolayer (with the hydrophobic groups oriented outward) formed on the ZnO surface as the result of the reaction between stearic acid and ZnO. This process transformed the wood surface from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic: the water contact angle of the surface was 151°, and the sliding angle was less than 5°.

A layer of lamellar super-hydrophobic film was fabricated on wood surface through a wet chemical method. The super-hydrophobic property of the wood surface was measured by contact angle measurements (CA). The microstructure and chemical composition of the super-hydrophobic film was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Analytical characterization revealed that the micro-scale roughness lamellar particles uniformly erect on the wood surface and mutually structure the cellular structure, the Zinc stearate (hydrophobic groups toward the outside) monolayer deposits on the ZnO surface which results from the reaction of stearic acid and ZnO, thus transforming the wood surface from hydrophilic to super-hydrophobic with a water contact angle 151°, and the sliding angle is less than 5°.Highlights► A facile and simple method was utilized to produce the superhydrophobic wood. ► The research referring to superhydrophobic wood is novel. ► The wettability of wood surface changed from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. ► The synthesis of superhydrophobic wood may contribute to the enlarger use of wood.