Preparation and hydrophobicity of biomorphic ZnO/carbon based on a lotus-leaf template

A lotus leaf was used as a template to fabricate superhydrophobic biomorphic ZnO on a carbon substrate (ZnO/C). First, a carbon substrate with the microstructure of a leaf surface was obtained by sintering a lotus leaf in argon. A biomorphic ZnO/C material was then obtained by immersing this carbon substrate into a Zn(NO3)(2) solution and sintering. Finally, the hydrophobicity of the surfaces of the products thus obtained was investigated. This ZnO/C material exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity and low adhesion after it was modified with fluorine silane. The water contact angle of the resulting product was 162 degrees, which exceeds that of the lotus leaf (157 degrees) and is much higher than that of smooth carbon covered with the same fluorine silane (114 degrees). Moreover, this surface displayed a stable superhydrophobic performance even after exposure to ambient air for several months. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.