During rainfall, small water droplets can be observed to roll off hydrophobic umbrella surfaces at diff erent speeds. A droplet on a round hydrophobic surface does not always slide down on the surface easily at a small tilt angle, but even if it does, large moving acceleration is not always observed. What determines the motion of droplets on solid surfaces?Diff erences in droplet shape on solid surfaces are often explained by variations in wettability. Th e wetting of a solid surface has persisted through the ages as a research subject at the border between physics and chemistry. Wettability control of a solid against a liquid has been widely explored in industry for application in daily life because it can engender various physical and chemical phenomena related to solids and liquids. Wettability is an important property of solid surfaces from both fundamental and practical aspects. Th e degree of adhesion of liquid droplets onto a solid surface is commonly described in terms of the contact angle (θ), which is given by Young's equation aswhere γ sv , γ sl , and γ lv represent the interfacial free energies per unit area of the solid-gas, solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces. Although the defi nition and measurement of the contact angle are simple and easy, the nature of wettability is complex because it is related to three phases: solid, liquid and gas. Moreover, various factors aff ect the surface wettability of a solid. When one factor of a solid surface such as roughness is altered, other factors such as the surface topography or its chemical composition often change simultaneously. Th erefore, it is usually diffi cult to discuss the results of surface wettability obtained from experiments while retaining academic rigor. Th e main research interest for industrial materials is the behavior of millimeter-size droplets on a solid surface of more than a few centimeters in area. Th erefore, the discussion of wettability among samples with great diff erences in surface character is sometimes conducted with ignorance of the infl uence of other characteristics.Hydrophobic coatings are extremely important for wettability control. Th e coatings are anticipated for various industrial uses such as anti-wetting, anti-snow (or ice), anti-rust and reduced friction resistance by reducing solid-liquid interaction. Generally, a hydrophobic surface is one on which water forms a round droplet that is easily removed. Recent advances in probe microscopy and surface spectroscopy and the wider availability of such techniques have revealed that macroscopic surface hydrophobicity, especially dynamic hydrophobicity, is aff ected by nanolevel characteristics such as structure, chemical composition and their alignment and homogeneity. Th e expected properties for a hydrophobic surface cannot always be obtained unless precise design and control of the solid surface are applied. Th is report presents the results of recent studies on the design of hydrophobic surfaces for droplet removal or control from the viewpoint of materials science....