CHAPTER 4: Liquid-Repellent Nanostructured Polymer Composites Check Access

Liquid-repellent materials made up of polymer nanocomposites are generally fabricated in the form of coatings, free-standing films, or 3D structures such as foams. This chapter aims to describe recent advances on such polymer composite materials with liquid-repellent properties. Recent work relevant to water repellent (superhydrophobic), oil repellent (superoleophobic), and omniphobic polymer composites comprising environmentally friendly materials and processes are also presented. Issues related to wear abrasion resistance, substrate adhesion, resistance to acidic or basic media, and upscaling out of the research environment are addressed, along with the most relevant examples from the literature. Future directions and applications of non-wetting polymer nanocomposites are considered.