Superhydrophobic surface through direct grafting of fluorosilane molecules onto wood

Wood superhydrophobicity is an advantageous characteristic for various industrial and mechanical applications. In this study, a superhydrophobic surface on veneer wood was achieved by grafting (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane) fluorosilane molecules on its surface using a simple soaking technique at ambient conditions. The 24-h soaking time achieved the superhydrophobic surface with a contact angle > 150° when measured 1 week after soaking and was stable for up to 4 weeks. As weeks progressed, the 4-h and 8-h soaking showed improvement in water contact angle with the 8-h going as high as 166 ± 0.2°. The FTIR and Raman spectroscopy analyses on the veneer wood surface reveal the attachment of the OH bonds of the wood cellulose to the fluorosilane molecules. Secondary ion mass spectra (SIMS) show a uniformly distributed fluorine map confirming the formation of the low surface energy. The FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and SIMS help elucidate the structure of the fluorosilane functionalization on veneer wood.