Issue 6, 2012

Hybrid structure of pH-responsive hydrogel and carbon nanotube array with superwettability

Abstract

We report an all-dry fabrication method of the hybrid structure of pH-responsive hydrogel and carbon nanotube arrays using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). Vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) arrays with low site density were coated by a vapor-deposited poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol diacrylate) hydrogel with complete retention of the aligned structure and precise control of the coating thickness on each nanotube. The hydrogel coating imparted pH-responsiveness to the nanotube arrays and significantly enhanced the surface wettability. With an ultrathin 50 nm hydrogel coating, the hybrid hydrogel–VACNT array structure exhibited superwettability in neutral buffer solutions, which was attributed to the synergistic effect of the structure porosity and the ionization of the pH-responsive hydrogel. Under the acidic condition, the wettability depended on the coating thickness, and the apparent contact angle of the hybrid structure was in agreement with the calculated results from the Cassie–Baxter model.

Graphical abstract: Hybrid structure of pH-responsive hydrogel and carbon nanotube array with superwettability

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Sep 2011
Accepted
21 Nov 2011
First published
22 Dec 2011

J. Mater. Chem., 2012,22, 2449-2455

Hybrid structure of pH-responsive hydrogel and carbon nanotube array with superwettability

Y. Ye, Y. Mao, H. Wang and Z. Ren, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 2449 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM14547A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements