Water Impact Dynamics and Mechanism Analysis of Polypropylene and Polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-octene) Replica Surfaces with Nanowires under Low Temperature Conditions.

ABSTRACT

In this work, polypropylene (PP) and PP/poly(ethylene-co-octene) (PP/POE) blend replica surfaces with densely arranged nanowires are fabricated using a molding process. Morphology analysis shows that the nanowires on these replica surfaces have sharp tips and high aspect ratios. The droplet impact behaviors on the surfaces of the PP/POE blend replicas and PP replicas are investigated before and after freezing at -20 °C for 4 h. The height of the nanowires on the PP/POE blend replica surfaces is higher than that on the PP surface before and after freezing. The static wettability and droplet impact tests on the surfaces of PP/POE blend replicas and PP replica show that adding POE into the PP matrix can significantly increase the toughness of the nanowires on the PP/POE blend replica surfaces during the droplet impact at low temperatures. These investigations are favorable to broaden the practical applications of superhydrophobic surfaces in some severe environments.