Hypothesis: Today, nanofibrous membranes equipped with self-cleaning surfaces inspired by the leaves of the water lily have drawn considerable attention due to their ability to repel water and contaminants. Various methods can create self-cleaning surfaces, with electrospinning attracting considerable attention Methods: Employing various strategies in electrospinning, including (1) electrospinning of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) (15% w/w), (2) electrospinning of PVDF with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FAS-13) (2% v/v) (3) electrospinning of PVDF and then electrospraying of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles (25% w/w with respect to the polymer weight), and (4) electrospinning of PVDF and then electrospraying of SiO2 nanoparticles with FAS-13, nanofibrous membranes were prepared. FESEM and EDX spectroscopy analyses were employed to observe the nanofibers surface morphology and investigate nanoparticles distribution on their surfaces, respectively. Additionally, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy (number of scans: 16) was considered to analyze the chemical structure of the samples. The contact angle measurement and release of water droplet on the membrane surface were also used to demonstrate the wetting and self-cleaning properties of the surfaces
Findings: Initially, the presence of desired elements in the produced membrane structure was verified using EDX and FTIR tests. The water contact angle on the surface of pristine membrane was measured as 123.4 ± 1.4, which increased to 133.8 ± 1.4 after the addition of FAS-13 to the polymer solution due to the fluorine chains in the FAS-13 structure. Furthermore, after electrospraying of SiO₂ nanoparticles on the membrane surface, the water contact angle increased to 141.6 ± 1.9. Finally, the addition of FAS-13 to the dispersion of SiO₂ nanoparticles and its electrospray on the membrane surface resulted in a super-hydrophobic surface with water contact angle of 151.8 ± 3. The results indicated that the simultaneous coating of SiO₂ nanoparticles and FAS-13 on the nanofibrous membrane surface led to significantly enhanced hydrophobicity compared to the pristine sample. Moreover, this surface exhibited excellent self-cleaning properties