One-pot synthesis of ultrahydrophobic mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Ultrahydrophobic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) were prepared using a simple one-pot synthesis. A template of polystyrene (PS) was simultaneously synthesized during condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Co-condensation of TEOS with trimethyl (fluoromethyl) silane provided core-shell MSNPs with low surface energies. The mesoporous structure of MSNPs after the removal of the PS template was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and the Brunauer- Emmett-Teller method. Coated on substrates, these fluorinated MSNPs showed oleophobic and ultrahydrophobic characteristics and developed a nanostructure with a rough surface that produced water contact angle as high as 151 degrees. This MSNP synthesis provides a promising method to be used in creating nano-coated materials.