Superhydrophobic surfaces from surface-hydrophobized cellulose fibers with stearoyl groups

In this report, surface-hydrophobized cellulose fibers by stearoyl groups were used for the construction of superhydrophobic surfaces. The product after the synthesis contains two components: cellulose microfibers as the major component and nanoscaled segments in small amounts. The crystalline structure of cellulose was maintained after surface modification based on solid-state C-13 NMR spectroscopy. Superhydrophobic surfaces showing static water contact angles of >150 degrees were fabricated using freshly prepared products containing both components via the facile route, e.g., solvent casting. The cellulose types, microcrystalline cellulose or cotton linter cellulose fibers, did not significantly affect the chemical modification of cellulose fibers, but the superhydrophobic surfaces using surface-hydrophobized cotton linters as starting materials exhibited higher surface hydrophobicity and better impact stability in comparison to shorter microcrystalline cellulose. Due to the presence of a crystalline cellulose skeleton, the obtained superhydrophobic surfaces are stable during the heat treatment at 80 degrees C.