Mechanically Durable Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Development of durable non-wetting surfaces is hindered by the fragility of the microscopic roughness features that are necessary for superhydrophobicity. Mechanical wear on superhydrophobic surfaces usually shows as increased sticking of water, leading to loss of non-wettability. Increased wear resistance has been demonstrated by exploiting hierarchical roughness where nanoscale roughness is protected to some degree by large scale features, and avoiding the use of hydrophilic bulk materials is shown to help prevent the formation of hydrophilic defects as a result of wear. Additionally, self-healing hydrophobic layers and roughness patterns have been suggested and demonstrated. Nevertheless, mechanical contact…

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