Organic Non-Wettable Superhydrophobic Fullerite Films.

Abstract

A long-standing quest in material science has been the development of non-wettable superhydrophobic films based on a single organic material, without the requirement of fluorination or silane treatment. Here, such films and coatings, which are developed using colloidal gels of fullerite C₆₀ and C₇₀ nanocrystals, are described. It is illustrated that despite the high surface energy of these van der Waals molecular crystals their gelation can create films having self-affine fractal surfaces with multiscale roughness. Water droplets on resulting surfaces of fullerite films bead like a pearl resting in a Fakir state with contact angle exceeding 150°. The films are extremely water repellent and non-wettable; when submerged in water they stay dry up to 3 h even at a water depth of two feet and exhibit the plastron effect. A series of experiments are presented to provide comprehensive inspection of water droplet dynamics on these films. These include rolling, bouncing, squeezing, freezing, melting, evaporating; along with acidic and alkaline tests. Non-wettable films of such materials are unique as fullerites get photosensitized instantaneously generating extremely high yields (≈100%) of singlet oxygen (¹ O₂ ) that can destroy viruses and bacteria; thereby enabling their use in rheology, water purification, and medicinal devices.