Super-Hydrophobic Surface of Aligned Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers

A water contact angle exceeding 170° is exhibited by the surface of aligned polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers without any surface treatment (the picture shows a cross-sectional view of the as-synthesized nanofibers). The nanofibers were obtained by simply extruding a PAN solution through an anodic alumina template into a solidifying solution. The factors that govern the hydrophobicity of aligned nanostructures are discussed.