Simple preparation and study of superhydrophobic surface of triple-scale raspberry-like composite particles

In this article, we introduce a facile method for preparing triple-scale raspberry-like composite particles. First, the copolymerized microspheres of styrene and 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane were prepared by suspension polymerization, and then double-sized SiO 2 particles were synthesized by one-pot using the secondary nucleation phenomenon of ethyl orthosilicate. Finally, the styrene copolymer microspheres were combined with SiO 2 particles to form raspberry-like microspheres. Adjusting the feed rate of the precursor and the water content can achieve the transition from dual-scale raspberry-like particles to triple-scale raspberry-like particles. The structure and morphology of the composite particles were characterized by infrared analysis, scanning electron microscope, and so forth, and the contact angle to water was measured. The results show that the superhydrophobic surface prepared by triple-scale raspberry-like composite particles has a static contact angle of up to 158 ± 1°, and a high Cassie-Baxter state stability, which can withstand a pressure of up to 565 Pa. It also shows great application potential in self-cleaning, anti-freezing and so on.