Functional
coatings that can achieve stable superhydrophobicity
have the potential to significantly enhance a plethora of industrial
applications ranging from building environmental control, phase change
heat transfer, thermoelectric power generation, and hydrodynamic drag
reduction. In order to create superhydrophobic surfaces, scientists
have utilized a variety of surface structuring methods in combination
with organosilane based alkyl and perfluorinated synthetic chemical
coatings. Unfortunately, organosilane based alkyl and perfluorinated
chemicals tend to be toxic, flammable, corrosive, difficult to dispose
of, and damaging to the environment. Here, we develop two new methods
to achieve superhydrophobicity using liquid phase deposition of cinnamic
acid or myristic acid, both organic compounds derived from natural
sources. By varying the liquid phase solution concentration, we develop
deposition methods on scalable copper oxide microstructured surfaces
capable of achieving apparent advancing contact angles as high as
154° and 165° for cinnamic and myristic acid, respectively,
with low contact angle hysteresis (<15°). To demonstrate superhydrophobic
performance, we utilize high speed optical microscopy to show stable
coalescence induced droplet jumping during atmospheric water vapor
condensation. This study presents a novel avenue for safer and more
environmentally friendly fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces
for energy and water applications.