Two-dimensional (2D) metal oxides can be difficult to synthesise, and scaling up production using traditional methods is challenging. However, a new liquid metal-based technique, that utilises both “top-down” and “bottom-up”...

The performance of optical and electronic detectors and sensors are affected by surface and bulk impurities. In some cases, nanoscale thin films are used as detectors and their life cycle is significantly decreased. In the case of conformal shapes, surfaces with different polishing, decoration and geometries exhibit unusual wetting and nucleation characteristics for impurities and this requires continuous attention for cleaning. The situation for space borne components and vehicles surfaces exposed to wetting liquids requires remote cleaning. In the present paper, we report the effect of surface topographies of substrates with nanoengineered titanium oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles embodied in polystyrene and study the effect of the composites to create different hydrophobic characteristics with great potential for detectors and sensors operating in ultra-violet and infrared regions.