Preparation of superhydrophobic conductive CNT/PDMS film on paper by foam spraying method

Paper-based materials are widely used in agriculture, industry and daily life because of their biodegradability , sustainability, biocompatibility and low cost. However, due to the hydrophilic nature of plant fibers in paper-based materials, the mechanical properties of paper will be reduced after absorbing water, thus limiting its application field. In this paper, carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) films with hydrophobicity and conductivity were prepared on filter paper by foam spraying method. Firstly, CNT and PDMS were added into water and stirred vigorously, and CNT/PDMS foam homogenate was prepared by foaming agent and stabilizer . Then, the homogenate was sprayed on the filter paper with a spray gun, and the multilevel rough structure was prepared on the paper. The results showed that the contact angle of the sample surface is greater than 150° when the spraying amount is 0.4-CNT, 0.6-CNT and 0.8-CNT, and the contact angle of 0.6-CNT is 156.33°, which is the largest. The drops on the surface of the sprayed sample have good bounce and self-cleaning performances. In addition, benefiting from the excellent conductivity of CNT, the particles composed of CNT and PDMS contact each other on the surface of the sample, forming a conductive network. The aforementioned properties will broaden the application scenarios of paper-based superhydrophobic materials.