Biomimic Superhydrophobic Surface with High Adhesive Forces

Abstract

Superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces that contain microbinary and nanobinary structures with a water contact angle (CA) of >150° are created by duplicating the microstructures of a rose petal. The resulting surface has the same microstructures and high adhesive property as a rose petal; the water CA of the surface is as high as 154.3°. Interestingly, this surface can hold water droplets through the use of very strong adhesive forces, and the maximum adhesive force is ~63.8 μN. Furthermore, the resulting surface has another important property; it shows superhydrophobic property in a wide range of pH values from 1.07 to 13.76. Therefore, it is believed that the as-prepared surface can be used in the fabrication of chemical engineering materials, microfluidic devices, and the transportation of a small amount of corrosive liquids.