Researchers in natural fibers see opportunities in superhydrophobicity for fabrics or paper. The first challenge with natural fiber is their high hydrophilicity when the second is the perpetual search for water born coating  in papermaking. These challenges were overcome by a one pot formulation comprising a latex binder, precipitated calcium carbonate and  fatty acids to give their hydrophobicity to pigments 1.  In this study, we want to go further by replacing the petro-sourced latex with a new kind of fibers that are cellulose nanofibers (CNF).

Inspired by the Lotus leaf, superhydrophobic surfaces have been a center of interest in the last decade because of their high potential in industry for a variety of applications.  It is seen as the next generation of surface for anti-fouling and corrosive retardant in navy industry but also  in general  anti corrosive materials industry.  Now widely studied , mechanisms for manufacturing superhydrophobicity are well understood. Born from the alliance of low surface energy chemistry and physical structuration of surface, superhydrophobic materials give a water contact angle above 150° and a slidding angle below 10°.