Controlled anisotropic wetting behaviour of multi-scale slippery surface structure of non fluoro polymer composite

A facile process for in-situ modification of surface properties of Waste Expanded Polystyrene (WEP)/graphite film produced by spin coating technique has been described. The additives undergo spontaneous surface agglomeration with formation of islands of forest of flake structure during the spinning process. This results in polymer films with enhanced roughness and highly hydrophobic surfaces. Wettability was analyzed using static water contact angle, surface morphology was observed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The polymer composite exhibited maximum water contact angle (WCA) of 129 degrees. Surface texture reveals the variation of surface roughness which enables anisotropic surface wettability property. The present work exhibits promising approach for fabricating nano flake forest in polymer structures for various industrial applications.