SUPERHYDROPHOBIC NANOPARTICLES-BASED HARD COATINGS FOR BUILDING AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

Abstract

Nanoparticles have attracted intensive scientific attention. Nanoparticles can exhibit extraordinary properties such as superhydrophobicity. They are potentially ideal candidates for functional nanocoating in new building and industrial applications. Super hydrophobic nanocoating has many benefits such as decreased dirt retention, self-cleaning, improved moisture and corrosion resistance. It increases the longevity and durability of substrates that are susceptible to corrosion and water damage. Super hydrophobic nanocoating can be used to develop self-cleaning and anti-stain building façades. It can also be used to develop membranes for oil-water separation for industrial uses and oil spills. In this paper, we identified potential nanomaterials from literature review and fabricated self-cleaning nanocoatings on glass substrates. Then, tested 22 metal and non-metallic nanoparticles to find out their water contact angle (WCA) to determine their hydrophobicity for self-cleaning applications. Followed by an analysis of SEM and TEM of the nanoparticles for their morphology and dimensions. We created a comprehensive database repository of the nanoparticles with their water contact angle, and materialistic properties. We analyzed the chemical structure and identified the key functional groups that are responsible for the hydrophobicity. We also identified suitable adhesive binders for hard and durable nanocoating and tested their WCA to determine their hydrophobicity and tested their durability via a simple test. Generally, metal oxides exhibit a lower WCA as compared to the other nanoparticles. CuO and MWCNT exhibit a WCA of greater than 150°. These two top performing nanoparticles were selected for further WCA measurements with various binders. Unexpectedly, the WCA of CuO and MWCNT dropped significantly after being bonded with the binders. The highest WCA of 136.5° was obtained in MWCNT after being bonded by WPU, and it was proposed to be the best nanocoating for building and industry applications.