Fabrication Techniques of Superhydrophobic Coatings: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Superhydrophobic coatings are growing in demand in textile, wearable electronics, and healthcare devices due to their nonwetting, antibacterial, anti‐icing, and self‐cleaning properties. With potential applications of superhydrophobic surfaces in consumer electronic devices, there is a huge demand to develop new materials and fabrication techniques that can help make high‐performance, scalable electronic devices directly onto the conductive and flexible substrates for a wide range of applications. Superhydrophobic materials which are highly stretchable and exhibit good electrical conductivity find applications in wearable electronics sensors, energy storage devices, anticorrosion circuits, etc. Superhydrophobicity can be achieved by creating micro/nanostructures using materials with low surface energy. In general, most of the superhydrophobic coatings are developed by making the materials’ surfaces rough by multistep procedures. However, due to the lack of excellent natural templates as well as simple and cost‐effective manufacturing procedures, a coating approach that is simple, cost‐effective, scalable, and environmentally friendly is in high demand. Finding appropriate materials, simple fabrication techniques, and cost‐effective, durable, and eco‐friendly superhydrophobic coatings for real‐life applications is still challenging. This article reviews the materials used, fabrication techniques, the theoretical background of hydrophobicity in surfaces, and the limitations of existing methods. It also reviews the superhydrophobic responses of different materials.

Enhance the performance of photovoltaic solar panels by a self-cleaning and hydrophobic nanocoating

“…The characteristics and efficiency of the prepared nano-coated panel were higher than www.nature.com/scientificreports/ those of the reference and commercial nano-coated panels. This is due to the roughness and nano-micro scale pyramidal shapes that are widely spread on the surface of the nano-coating, which reduces the reflectivity of light on the surface of the panels 22 .…”

“…The near infrared (NIR) ranges up to 4 m 1 . Egypt has high solar irradiance with annual global irradiance exceeding 2000 kWh/m 22 . The optimal orientation of a solar conversion system is towards the equator, yielding an orientation to the south in the northern hemisphere (azimuth angle = 0); and an orientation to the north in the southern hemisphere (azimuth angle = 180).…”

Smartphone-Assisted Contact Angle Measurements: A Simple Approach to Determine the Critical Micelle Concentration of Surfactants

“…We in our region are blessed to have such surfaces readily available in the form of lotus leaves. Very simple chemical approaches for designing such surfaces have also been reported in the literature. − Drops of aqueous solutions of surfactants adhered to such surfaces are expected to exhibit a change in contact angle with the change in concentration of surfactant, and like surface tension, the concentration sensitivity of this change is expected to be different for the premicellar and postmicellar concentrations. Therefore, a plot of the contact angle of a liquid drop vs the concentration of the surfactant concentration in the liquid drop is expected to show a breakpoint at a concentration corresponding to the CMC of the surfactant.…”

Solvent-Free High-Temperature Capillary Stamping of Stimuli-Responsive Polymers: Wettability Management by Orthogonal Substrate Functionalization

“…Surfaces with tailored wettability may be used for applications like sensing, oil–water separation, water collection, and water purification. Thus, the tailoring of the wettability of surfaces by additive surface manufacturing has attracted significant interest. − Surfaces with switchable wettability and, therefore, amplified functional versatility are accessible by functionalization with stimuli-responsive polymers. − Stimuli-responsive polymers may be chemically grafted onto substrates. However, nonreactive deposition significantly extends the range of deployable stimuli-responsive polymers and of counterpart substrates to be functionalized.…”