Super-hydrophobic surfaces from a simple coating method: a bionic nanoengineering approach

Inspired by the self-cleaning behaviour of lotus leaves in nature, we developed a simple coating method that can facilitate the bionic creation of super-hydrophobic surfaces on various substrates, thus providing a feasible way of fabricating super-hydrophobic surfaces for civil and industrial applications. Micro-nanoscale binary structured composite particles of silica/fluoropolymer were prepared using an emulsion-mediated sol-gel process, and then these composite particles were applied to various substrates to mimic the surface microstructures of lotus leaves. Super-hydrophobic surfaces with a water contact angle larger than 150° are obtained, and these super-hydrophobic surfaces are expected to have potential applications for rusting-resistant, anti-fog and self-cleaning treatments.