Progress in fabrication and applications of micro/nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces

Abstract

Natural biological surfaces such as lotus leaves and water striders have micro- and nanostructures and low-surface-energy materials, possessing excellent superhydrophobicity. It has become an important research topic to construct bionic superhydrophobic surfaces and explore their functional applications. This paper reviews the research progress on the fabrication and applications of superhydrophobic surfaces with micro/nanostructures. The techniques used for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces, including the template method, nano-imprinting technique, laser-treatment, plasma treatment, electrospinning technique, solution-chemical etching method, electrochemical technique, phase separation method and sol–gel process, were introduced. Also, the diverse functional applications of superhydrophobic surfaces such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, oil–water separation, anti-corrosion and drag reduction were summarised. It is believed that green fabrication will become the future development direction of superhydrophobic surfaces. Further exploration for the superhydrophobic surfaces with mechanical stability and durability will be expected to expand the application prospect and commercial value of superhydrophobic surfaces.