Fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer with poly lactic acid (PLA) filament and dip coating with silica nanoparticles

Abstract Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers are widely used for rapid prototyping and customized products because they are inexpensive and open source 3D printers. 3D printers can be used to produce complex designs, and there are almost no limits in terms of product shape. Various different materials for 3D printers have been widely studied to improve the functionality of 3D-printed parts. One such functional material is superhydrophobic 3D printable material. However, the material preparation is not easy, and relatively expensive material must be used for the whole product even though the material for superhydrophobicity is required only for the surface of the product. In this study, a commercially available FDM 3D printer without any modifications and a widely used polylactic acid (PLA) filament material were used to make patterned surface structures, and a hydrophobic coating with nanoscale structures was realized by a dip coating process using hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and methyl ethyl ketone. The wettability change in the 3D printed part before and after the dip coating process was evaluated by means of static contact angle and sliding angle measurements. The effects of the 3D printed grid and line patterned surface structures were also studied for the superhydrophobic surface. In addition, several complex three-dimensional structures were demonstrated. This process can be easily applied using FDM 3D printers and PLA filament and can be used for many applications such as liquid position control and low water adhesion.

[1]  P. Forsberg,et al.  From hydrophilic to superhydrophobic: fabrication of micrometer-sized nail-head-shaped pillars in diamond. , 2010, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[2]  D. Chun,et al.  Fast wettability transition from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic laser-textured stainless steel surfaces under low-temperature annealing , 2017 .

[3]  D. Chun,et al.  Laser Printing of Superhydrophobic Patterns from Mixtures of Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles and Toner Powder , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[4]  Neelesh A Patankar,et al.  Anisotropy in the wetting of rough surfaces. , 2005, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[5]  H. Fuchs,et al.  Anisotropic contact-angle hysteresis of chemically nanostructured surfaces. , 2001, Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry.

[6]  Seeram Ramakrishna,et al.  A review on self-cleaning coatings , 2011 .

[7]  Dong Yun Lee,et al.  Tunable Anisotropic Wettability of Rice Leaf‐Like Wavy Surfaces , 2013 .

[8]  Doo-Man Chun,et al.  Transparency and superhydrophobicity of cone-shaped micropillar array textured polydimethylsiloxane , 2015 .

[9]  Byung Gil Min,et al.  Superhydrophobic PLA fabrics prepared by UV photo-grafting of hydrophobic silica particles possessing vinyl groups. , 2010, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[10]  Lei Jiang,et al.  Petal effect: a superhydrophobic state with high adhesive force. , 2008, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[11]  S. Brueck,et al.  Strongly anisotropic wetting on one-dimensional nanopatterned surfaces. , 2008, Nano letters.

[12]  Caroline Sunyong Lee,et al.  Measurement of anisotropic compressive strength of rapid prototyping parts , 2007 .

[13]  D. Chun,et al.  Effect of Heat Treatment Temperature on the Wettability Transition from Hydrophilic to Superhydrophobic on Laser‐Ablated Metallic Surfaces , 2018 .

[14]  Mei Li,et al.  Anisotropic wetting characteristics on submicrometer-scale periodic grooved surface. , 2007, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[15]  A. Cassie,et al.  Wettability of porous surfaces , 1944 .

[16]  Chee Kai Chua,et al.  3D soft auxetic lattice structures fabricated by selective laser sintering: TPU powder evaluation and process optimization , 2017 .

[17]  Rao Khan,et al.  Characterizing 3D printing in the fabrication of variable density phantoms for quality assurance of radiotherapy. , 2016, Physica medica : PM : an international journal devoted to the applications of physics to medicine and biology : official journal of the Italian Association of Biomedical Physics.

[18]  Jun Yang,et al.  i3DP, a robust 3D printing approach enabling genetic post-printing surface modification. , 2013, Chemical communications.

[19]  D. Chun,et al.  Fabrication of an Anisotropic Superhydrophobic Polymer Surface Using Compression Molding and Dip Coating , 2017 .

[20]  Miriam C. Strumia,et al.  Permanent superhydrophobic polypropylene nanocomposite coatings by a simple one-step dipping process , 2014 .

[21]  D. Chun,et al.  Geometric study of transparent superhydrophobic surfaces of molded and grid patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) , 2014 .

[22]  Min Ho Kwon,et al.  Fabrication of a super-hydrophobic surface on metal using laser ablation and electrodeposition , 2014 .

[23]  Doris Vollmer,et al.  Transparent, Thermally Stable and Mechanically Robust Superhydrophobic Surfaces Made from Porous Silica Capsules , 2011, Advanced materials.

[24]  M. Alexander,et al.  Effect of sessile drop volume on the wetting anisotropy observed on grooved surfaces. , 2009, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[25]  B. Bhushan,et al.  The rose petal effect and the modes of superhydrophobicity , 2010, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[26]  Anthony M. Jacobi,et al.  Creating micro-scale surface topology to achieve anisotropic wettability on an aluminum surface , 2006 .

[27]  D. Aurbach,et al.  “Petal Effect” on Surfaces Based on Lycopodium: High-Stick Surfaces Demonstrating High Apparent Contact Angles , 2009 .

[28]  Sung-Hoon Ahn,et al.  Fabrication of transparent superhydrophobic surface on thermoplastic polymer using laser beam machining and compression molding for mass production , 2014 .

[29]  D. Weibel,et al.  Novel liquid–solid adhesion superhydrophobic surface fabricated using titanium dioxide and trimethoxypropyl silane , 2012 .

[30]  Yuekun Lai,et al.  A review on special wettability textiles: theoretical models, fabrication technologies and multifunctional applications , 2017 .

[31]  W. Natsu,et al.  Anisotropic wetting characteristics versus roughness on machined surfaces of hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials , 2015 .

[32]  Qinghua Zhang,et al.  Superhydrophobic and anti-icing properties at overcooled temperature of a fluorinated hybrid surface prepared via a sol-gel process. , 2015, Soft matter.

[33]  Yulin Deng,et al.  Superhydrophobic film fabricated by controlled microphase separation of PEO–PLA mixture and its transparence property , 2013 .

[34]  Zhiguang Guo,et al.  Anisotropic wetting properties on various shape of parallel grooved microstructure. , 2015, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[35]  M. Suvanto,et al.  Superhydrophobic elastomer surfaces with nanostructured micronails , 2012 .

[36]  R. N. Wenzel.  RESISTANCE OF SOLID SURFACES TO WETTING BY WATER , 1936 .

[37]  P. Dudek,et al.  FDM 3D Printing Technology in Manufacturing Composite Elements , 2013 .

[38]  D. Chun,et al.  Control of laser-ablated aluminum surface wettability to superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic through simple heat treatment or water boiling post-processing , 2018 .

[39]  Lei Jiang,et al.  Effects of rugged nanoprotrusions on the surface hydrophobicity and water adhesion of anisotropic micropatterns. , 2007, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[40]  Chungsik Yoon,et al.  Emissions of Nanoparticles and Gaseous Material from 3D Printer Operation. , 2015, Environmental science & technology.

[41]  J. Xie,et al.  Anisotropic wetting properties on a precision-ground micro-V-grooved Si surface related to their micro-characterized variables , 2014 .

[42]  Jin Zhai,et al.  A lotus-leaf-like superhydrophobic surface: a porous microsphere/nanofiber composite film prepared by electrohydrodynamics. , 2004, Angewandte Chemie.

[43]  W. Qi,et al.  Three-dimensionally printed bioinspired superhydrophobic PLA membrane for oil-water separation , 2018, AIChE Journal.

[44]  Meihua Jin,et al.  Wetting behavior of superhydrophobic surface in the liquid influenced by the existing of air layer , 2013 .

[45]  Wen Li,et al.  Anisotropic wetting behavior arising from superhydrophobic surfaces: parallel grooved structure. , 2008, Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

[46]  M. Marengo,et al.  Fabricating superhydrophobic aluminum: an optimized one-step wet synthesis using fluoroalkyl silane , 2014 .

[47]  Yong He,et al.  Fabrication of low cost soft tissue prostheses with the desktop 3D printer , 2014, Scientific Reports.

[48]  Xianping Liu,et al.  Modification of wettability property of titanium by laser texturing , 2016 .

[49]  Yanqiu Chen,et al.  3D printing of a mechanically durable superhydrophobic porous membrane for oil–water separation , 2017 .