Effect of fluorination of carbon nanotubes on superhydrophobic properties of fluoro-based films

In this work, we prepared multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) thin films on glass substrates with transparent, conductive, and superhydrophobic properties. MWCNTs were dispersed in fluoropolymer (FP) solutions for modification of their surface by grafting FP. A dip-coating process was used to prepare the films at a continuous speed and different numbers of coatings. The chemical compositions and microstructures of the prepared film surface were also investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The film showed 83.5% transmittance and a sheet resistance of 1.38 × 10⁴ Ω sq^-1, and a high contact angle of 160.2°. The 3D MWCNTs networks and the low surface energy of the FP play important roles in creating the superhydrophobic surface of the MWCNTs film.