Wetting Properties of the Multiscaled Nanostructured Polymer and Metallic Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Abstract

A superhydrophobic surface is produced from industrial grade polymer materials. The surface comprises partly disordered triple-scaled arrays of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) globules. An inherently superhydrophobic metallic surface is produced with polymer template. The mathematical model based on the Cassie-Baxter hypothesis of air trapping under a water drop is built, which gives the apparent contact angle on the manifold-scaled interface. The presence of several scales itself is not a sufficient condition of hydrophobicity of inherently wettable surfaces. The geometrical features favoring the increase of the vapor-water interface fraction are necessary for this phenomenon.