From superhydrophilicity to superhydrophobicity: The wetting behavior of a methylsilicone/phenolic resin/silica composite surface

A methylsilicone/phenolic resin/silica composite surface was prepared by a casting method. The wetting behavior of the surface was investigated. It was found that the as-prepared surface can be varied from superhydrophilicity to superhydrophobicity as the drying temperature increased. Methylsilicone/silica and phenolic resin/silica composite surfaces were also prepared as comparisons. Both of them cannot achieve superhydrophobicity. A mechanism was proposed to explain this phenomenon.