Influence of the monomer structure and electrochemical parameters on the formation of nanotubes with parahydrophobic properties (high water adhesion) by a templateless electropolymerization process

•Formation of nanotubes by electropolymerization (templateless).•The substrates with nanotubes display extremely high water adhesion.•Presence of nanotubes highly dependent on monomer structure and electrochemical parameters.

Controlling the formation of surface nanostructures and nanotubes in particular is extremely important for various applications in electronic devices for energy systems, biosensing but also for the control of water adhesion. Here, we use a direct (without template) electropolymerization process to produce vertically aligned nanotubes. Different monomers are tested as well as different solvents, electrolytes and electrodeposition methods. We show that naphtho[2,3-b]thieno[3,4-e][1,4]dioxine (NaphDOT) is the best monomer to obtain these nanotubes while dichloromethane has to be used as solvent for their formation. The surfaces with nanotubes display both extremely high apparent contact angles (θw = 142.7°) and high water adhesion even if the nanotubes are made of intrinsically hydrophilic polymers and are not densely packed.

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