Durable superhydrophobic nanocomposite materials

Abstract

The study of superhydrophobicity began with the observation and imitation of the superhydrophobic surface in nature. With the development of material characterization and fabrication techniques, more and more artificial superhydrophobic surfaces have been created, which show a broad prospect in application, such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-fogging, anti-corrosion, oil-water separation and so on. The superhydrophobic surfaces in nature, including the leaf surfaces or skins, always play an important role in the survival of plants and animals. However, in contrast, the research of artificially fabricated biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces still remains at an initial stage in laboratory. To date, the major challenge for the practical application of superhydrophobic surfaces is their durability, which hence arouse more attention. The improvement of surface durability is of great significance for the application of superhydrophobic materials in real world. According to the difference in the dimensions of superhydrophobic materials and the differences in the dimensions of superhydrophobic structure units, the superhydrophobic materials are divided into five categories, namely the two-dimensional (2D) superhydrophobic surface based on zero-dimensional (0D) particle; the three-dimensional (3D) superhydrophobic material based on zero-dimensional (0D) particle; the two-dimensional (2D) superhydrophobic surface based on one-dimensional (1D) fiber; the three-dimensional (3D) superhydrophobic material based on one-dimensional (1D) fiber and the three-dimensional (3D) superhydrophobic material based on three-dimensional (3D) bulk material. The preparation methods and the studies of surface durability of each category are introduced. According to the research progress of durable superhydrophobic materials in recent years, the mechanisms for improving the durability of superhydrophobic materials are studied and the guidance to advance the application of superhydrophobic materials in real world are offered.