a) Photographs of water droplet shape on the as-prepared CNT film before (left) and after (right) UV irradiation. (b) Reversible superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity transition of as-prepared films by alternating UV irradiation and dark storage. (c) Relationship between UV illumination time and the water CA of the CNT film. (d) Relationship between dark storage time and the water CA of the CNT film.

 Breakthrough has been achieved by the research group led by Prof. ZHANG Zhaozhu of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the surface wettability of carbon nanotube film. Superhydrophobic carbon nanotube film was fabricated via a simple spray coating method without any chemical modification. A remarkable surface wettability transition between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity can be easily observed by alternation of UV irradiation and dark storage. This switchable wettability on the carbon nanotube film could have potential applications in the areas of requiring multifunctional carbon nanotube based films.

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50773089 and 50835009).

Abstract of the paper published in Langmuir