Fabrication of superhydrophobic wood surface with enhanced environmental adaptability through a solution-immersion process

Abstract A simple solution-immersion method for fabrication superhydrophobic wood surface is reported in this paper. For a deeper discussion of the effect of adhesion mechanism on the stability of superhydrophobic surface, lauryl aldehyde and lauric acid were chosen to modify wood surface. Two kinds of superhydrophobic wood with contact angles of 160° (SW1) and 154° (SW2) were successfully fabricated through a simple solution-immersion method. In comparison to SW2, the SW1 which was obtained by chemical bond possesses not only better superhydrophobicity but also more extraordinary stability when exposed to aggressive medium including acidic and basic corrosive solutions, organic solvent, and simulated seawater. Additionally, SW1 shows an excellent self-cleaning ability. This method is expected to prolong the lifetime of the woodwork under our living environment. Meanwhile, this method can also apply to cotton textile and filter paper for oil/water separation. Such research could not only help us to further understand the effect of the adhesion mechanism on the surface stability, but also give us the design principle for the fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface with great strength.