Self – cleaning superhydrophobic coatings: Potential industrial applications

Abstract

Many technologies have surfaced through careful observation and investigation of unusual features of various species found in Nature. Among which, the remarkable non – wetting properties of lotus leaf has hugely occupied the minds of students, researchers and industrialists from last two decades. Due to high contact angle (>150°), water drops readily roll off the lotus leaf surface compiling dirt particles. This self – cleaning lotus effect has found huge attention in daily life. Many surfaces in day-to-day life eventually get contaminated due to the accumulation of dust/dirt or through air pollution. A huge amount of money, labor and energy is wasted in their restoration. The self – cleaning superhydrophobic coating is one of the best options for this problem. In this study, the suspension of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles was dip and/or spray coated on the body of motorcycle, building wall, mini boat, solar cell panel, window glass, cotton shirt, fabric shoes, paper (currency notes), metal, wood, sponges, plastic and marble. Every coated substrate exhibited superhydrophobicity with water contact angle nearly 160° and sliding angle less than 6°. The self-cleaning performance of the superhydrophobic coating applied on various substrates was thoroughly evaluated. The specific purpose of this article is to explore the possible industrial applications of self – cleaning superhydrophobic coatings.