Large-Area Preparation of Robust and Transparent Superomniphobic Polymer Films

Abstract

Transparent superamphiphobic surfaces that repel various liquids have many important applications, but there are critical challenges in their fabrication, such as expensive or complicated fabrication methods, contradictions between the rough surface for superamphiphobicity and smooth surface for transparency, large-area fabrication, etc. Herein, we report a simple and effective strategy for large-scale fabrication of robust, transparent, and superomniphobic polymer films by combined unidirectional rubbing and heating-assisted assembly technology. The obtained polymer films display two kinds of special structures of monolayer ordered re-entrant geometries with either hexagonally triangular protrusions or with hexagonally rectangular micropillars, depending upon the sphere diameters of silica templates, and demonstrate excellent repellence to water and low-surface-tension liquids, as well as high transparency.