Analysis of wear abrasion resistance of superhydrophobic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene rubber (ABS) nanocomposites

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene rubber (ABS) superhydrophobic nanocomposites containing various concentrations of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles were obtained by solution processing and spray coating on aluminum surfaces. Wear abrasion resistance measurements were conducted on the superhydrophobic nanocomposites as function of silica nanoparticle concentration. A remarkable increase in coating wear abrasion resistance (1700 linear abrasion cycles under 20.5 kPa) was measured when the nanocomposite coatings were fortified with a synthetic rubber resin adhesive Plasti Dip (TM). Detailed wetting measurements before and during abrasion cycles were performed. Changes in surface micro-texture were monitored with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as confocal microscopy for surface roughness changes. Wear abrasion of sufficiently thick coatings indicated that there was wear similarity (maintenance of hierarchical texture) throughout the coating thickness during cyclic abrasion. Thermal resistance of the coatings was improved by applying a thin primer layer containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in a fluoracrylic polymer solution (Capstone ST-110). The superhydrophobicity of the coatings did not degrade until 420 degrees C. Simplicity of the process and commercial availability of the materials in large scale can open up many practical applications of this coating material system in which water-repellent, wear abrasion resistance is needed particularly for metal surfaces. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.