In this work, superhydrophobic surfaces were successfully prepared by grafting of octanol on the surface of electrospun silica nanofibers (SNFs). The chemical compositions and microstructures of the prepared SNFs surfaces were investigated by using N-2 full isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and contact angle measurements. The results indicate that the surface of SNFs changed from being superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic by octanol surface grafting. The contact angle of the octanol-grafted SNFs was close to 150.2 degrees because their surface was modified by -(CH2)(6)-CH3 groups. The 3D network of SNFs networks and the low surface energy of the alkyl side chains played important roles in creating the superhydrophobic surface of the SNFs. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.