Fabrication of a waterborne, superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, highly transparent and stable surface

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces have received tremendous attention worldwide. However, the synthesis of a superhydrophobic surface possessing two paradoxical characteristic properties – stability and transparency, is a vital aspect that has been addressed in this paper. The surface was fabricated by an environmentally friendly process, which used distilled water for the dissolution of SiO₂ nanoparticles in the presence of surfactants, instead of organic solvents. Moreover, the surface was transparent and had self-cleaning properties and stability. The optimal balance of roughness and multi-porous structure imparted excellent transparency to this surface. Importantly, both the conformal coating and the SiO₂ nanoparticles embedded in the half solidified conformal coating contributed to the excellent stability, thus overcoming the paradox. The surface could withstand a temperature of 150 °C for 24 h and also different temperature regimes between 0–200 °C for 2 h. In addition, this surface could resist repeated scratches and abrasion as well as strong acids and alkali. The surface achieved its self-cleaning ability due to the introduction of surfactants containing the F element. This simple but novel strategy and surface have the advantages of high safety, low cost and environmental-friendliness.