When oil droplets land on the material, which resembles a thin fabric or tissue paper, they rest atop the fibers and pockets of air trapped between the fibers. The large contact angle between the droplet and the fibers prevents the liquid from touching the bottom of the surface and wetting it.
The microfibers are a blend of a specially synthesized molecule called fluoroPOSS, which has an extremely low surface energy, and a common polymer. They can be readily deposited onto many types of surfaces, including metal, glass, plastic and even biological surfaces such as plant leaves, using a process known as electrospinning.
Using these relationships, the researchers can design fiber mats that are optimized to repel different hydrocarbons. They have already created a nonwoven fabric that can separate water and octane (jet fuel), which they believe could be useful for hazardous waste cleanup.
The Air Force, which funded the research and developed the fluoroPOSS molecules, is interested in using the new materials to protect components of airplanes and rockets from jet fuel.
Lead author of the paper is Anish Tuteja, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering. Other MIT authors are Wonjae Choi and Minglin Ma, graduate students in chemical engineering, and Gregory Rutledge, professor of chemical engineering. Joseph Mabry and Sarah Mazzella of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base are also authors on the paper.
massachusetts institute of technology
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