Study on Preparation and Aging Properties of Superhydrophobic Paper Mulch.

Due to the hydrophilic nature of paper mulch, it is easy to absorb water during use, which will reduce its mechanical properties and durability, thus affecting its performance. Therefore, the development of paper mulch is hindered. In this paper, in order to improve the hydrophobic performance of paper mulch, we successfully prepared superhydrophobic silicon dioxide/paper mulch by simple, efficient and environmentally friendly solution immersion method without the introduction of adhesive. The contact Angle and rolling Angle between the prepared super hydrophobic paper mulch and water are 156.4° and 1.8°, respectively. The water drop is easy to roll on its surface, and has excellent water drop bouncing performance, which can play an excellent water-repellent function. Studies have shown that the superhydrophobicity of silicon dioxide/paper mulch is less affected by its surface roughness, mainly because the surface covered by a layer of silicon dioxide reduces the surface energy of the paper mulch, and the silicon dioxide on the surface of the paper mulch is enough to reduce the damage of aging on the paper mulch. In addition, the decrease in the contact angle of the SiO₂/paper mulch and the increase in the rolling angle after aging are due to the decrease in the amount of SiO₂ adhesion on the surface of the paper mulch and the increase in the degree of exposure of fiber bundles. Studies have found that the superhydrophobic paper mulch can reduce the influence of its own aging on its rolling angle after being subjected to friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]