Stable and conformable superhydrophilic surface fabricated via surface-initiated silicification on polyaniline nanofibers

Superhydrophilic surfaces have attracted much interest owing to their great potential for practical applications. Conventional methods for fabricating superhydrophilic surfaces result in unstable wetting properties and less conformability with respect to a target object. Here, we report an integrative method that improves the stability of surface wettability and extends adaptability to various materials and shape structures through the direct growth of a silica layer on polyaniline nanofibers. The wetting behavior of the fabricate surface was greatly enhanced by our fabrication method, and the modified surface maintained superhydrophilicity for more than 2 months. Taking advantage of the adhesive property of polyaniline, we further realized a conformable superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic patterned surface by photopatterning a hydrophobic alkylthiol coating on the polyaniline surface. The proposed method is expected to open up various applications, particularly in water harvesting. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.