Development of Photoresponsive Water-Soluble Superhydrophobic Coatings and Properties of the Modified Paper

In this study, a highly stable light-responsive superhydrophobic paper was successfully fabricated. The process involved polymerizing the synthesized light-responsive monomer PAPAE with the hydrophilic monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate(HEMA), the fluorine-containing monomer hexafluorobutyl methacrylate(HFMA),and 3-trimethoxysilyl-propyl methacrylate(TSPM), followed by grafting (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES)-modified SiO2 nanoparticles onto the polymer to enhance surface roughness, and subsequently applying this composite to the paper surface. When the monomer ratio in the polymer was HFMA:TSPM:PAPAE:HEMA = 0.2:0.2:0.4:0.2, the resulting coating exhibited good water solubility, enabling the modified paper to achieve reversible wettability transitions under light irradiation. At a SiO2-to-polymer ratio of 0.3, the contact angle variation range reached its maximum (96–156.8°). The proposed method for fabricating superhydrophobic paper not only offers relative simplicity, low cost, and strong versatility but also imparts the paper with excellent weather resistance, abrasion resistance, and ultrasonic durability, highlighting its great potential for practical applications.