Development of TiO ₂ , ZnO, and MWCNT-Based Superhydrophobic High-Voltage Polymeric Insulator

Superhydrophobic polymeric insulation samples are made using PDMS as the base polymer with ZnO and MWCNT nanoparticles as fillers. TiO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> nanoparticles are also added to the solution by spraying during the curing process through heating. The concentration of ZnO and MWCNT with respect to the weight of PDMS, and the timing of the TiO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> nanoparticle spray, are determined through multiple trials and errors. At a specific concentration of ZnO and MWCNT nano-fillers and a particular spraying time of TiO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> nanoparticles during heat-induced curing, a super/ultra-hydrophobic surface is achieved, exhibiting bouncing and rolling properties. Contact angle goniometry is performed on various trial samples. A high-resolution thermal camera is used to demonstrate the bouncing property of the resulting superhydrophobic surface. The immersion test is conducted to demonstrate its ability to sustain or regain superhydrophobicity. Optical microscopy is used to observe surface characteristics of the sample with and without the TiO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> spray. Additionally, the surface and volume resistivity of the sample are measured using the alternating polarity method, showing that the developed superhydrophobic samples perform better.