Compression molding processed superhydrophobic CB/CeO2/PVDF/CF nanocomposites with highly robustness, reusability and multifunction

Abstract Bioinspired superhydrophobic treatment imparts unique features to surfaces such as self-cleaning, water-proofing, anti-icing, anti-fouling, etc. Here we introduce a simple approach to manufacture carbon fiber based superhydrophobic nanocomposite materials. The developed materials had high mechanochemical durability and electrical conductivity which should find promising applications in many engineering fields. The nanocomposites were manufactured via molding process and comprised of carbon fiber (CF), poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), carbon black (CB) and cerium dioxide (CeO2) nanoparticles, which is typically applied to fabricate carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) for structural use. The CFRP nanocomposites show a number of excellent functionalities such as superhydrophobicity (water contact angle ∼156° and sliding angle ∼5°), excellent structural properties (tensile strength ∼ 109 MPa and tensile modulus ∼ 10 GPa) and electrical conductivity (∼6.8 S/cm). The nanocomposites maintain excellent superhydrophobicity even after 200 cycles of sand paper abrasion, 24 h of strong base and/or 60 min of strong acid erosion. Additionally, both the superhydrophobicity and mechanical properties can be recovered by re-molding process after the nanocomposites were cut into pieces or ground into powders. This demonstrates good reusability and clear potential for recycling of the developed materials.