The multiple effects of organoclay and solvent evaporation on hydrophobicity of composite surfaces

Authors

HACI HASAN YOLCU
AHMET GÜRSES
RABAH BOUKHERROUB

DOI

10.3906/kim-1611-17

Abstract

A superhydrophobic high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/organoclay composite material with a water-static contact angle of $\sim $162$^{\circ}$ and low hysteresis (7$^{\circ})$ was prepared by a simple solution-intercalation technique. This one-step method consists of the insertion of organoclay, produced through cation exchange with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), in the polymer matrix at 120 $^{\circ}$C in xylene. In this process, evaporation of the solvent and organoclay amount are key factors for the achievement of superhydrophobicity. We characterized composite material with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and contact angle measurements. The characterizations showed that the organoclay provides a place for the formation of small polymer aggregates and facilitates the evaporation of the organic solvent. The technique described here is simple and does not require any complicated process.

Keywords

High-density polyethylene, organoclay, composite material, superhydrophobicity

First Page

793

Last Page

801

Recommended Citation

YOLCU, HACI HASAN; GÜRSES, AHMET; and BOUKHERROUB, RABAH (2017) "The multiple effects of organoclay and solvent evaporation on hydrophobicity of composite surfaces," Turkish Journal of Chemistry: Vol. 41: No. 5, Article 15. https://doi.org/10.3906/kim-1611-17
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/chem/vol41/iss5/15