Macromolecules, Vol.48, No.15, 5188-5195, 2015
3,4-Ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) Monomers with Aromatic Substituents for Parahydrophobic Surfaces by Electropolymerization
In nature, superhydrophobic (low adhesion) and parahydrophobic (high adhesion) properties exist in lotus leaves and 0 red roses, for example. The control in the water adhesion is extremely important for applications in water harvesting, for example. Here, we report the obtaining of parahydrophobic properties through the electropolymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) derivatives. We report for the first time an electrochemical study of EDOP derivatives bearing aromatic cycles (phenyl, naphthalene, biphenyl, and pyrene). Eight novel EDOP monomers are studied with and without the presence of an ethyl acetate spacer in order to give more mobility to the aromatic substituents. Surprinsgly, higher steric hindrance are observed during electropolymerization with spacer. However, the polymers are more insoluble with spacer, which is an important point for electropolymerization. The highest parahydrophobic properties are obtained with biphenyl groups and with the spacer, which are due to the presence of both micro- and nanostructures.