Transparent and superhydrophobic films prepared with polydimethylsiloxane-coated silica nanoparticles

Abstract

We report a versatile and simple two-step method for fabricating superhydrophobic films with optical transparency. Silica nanoparticles were coated with a hydrophobic PDMS thin layer and subsequently fixed onto adhesive surfaces. The water contact angle on the prepared surface was over 150°, which implies that the surface is highly repellent to water. The transparent nature of the fabricated surface and its high chemical and physical stability were also demonstrated. Our method is simple, cost-effective, environment friendly and applicable on a large scale.