Superhydrophobic Particles Derived from Nature-Inspired Polyphenol Chemistry for Liquid Marble Formation and Oil Spills Treatment

Nature has given us great inspirations to fabricate high-performance materials with extremely exquisite structures. Presently, particles with a superhydrophobic surface are prepared through nature-inspired polyphenol chemistry. Briefly, adhering of a typical polyphenol (tannic acid, widely existed in tea, red wine, chocolate, etc.) is first conducted on titania particles to form a multifunctional coating, which is further in charge of reducing Ag+ into Ag nanoparticles/nanoclusters (NPs/NCs) and responsible for grafting 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol, thus forming a lotus-leaf-mimic surface structure. The chemical/topological structure and superhydrophobic property of the as-engineered surface are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), water contact angle measurements, and so on. On the basis of the hierarchical, superhydrophobic surface, the particles exhibit a fascinating capability to form liquid marble and show some possibility in the application of oil removal from water. After particles are in situ adhered onto melamine sponges, the acquired particle-functionalized sponge exhibits an absorption capacity of 73–175 times of its own weight for a series of oils/organic solvents and shows superior ease of recyclability, suggesting an impressive capability for treating oil spills.