Synthesis and Fabrication of Silica Based Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces with very high water contact angle >150° and very low roll-off angle have received more attentions due to their huge potential in environment, energy and biomedical applications. It is now well known that superhydrophobicity arises from a combination of low surface free energy and surface roughness. Superhydrophobic coatings were fabricated by spraying the silica hybrid emulsion on clean glass substrates. Then, the effects of the emulsion dosage and the mole ratio of silica on the coating performance were analyzed. Finally, the formation mechanism of the hybrid coating was discussed, and the self-cleaning properties of the superhydrophobic and hydrophobic coating tilting at the same angle were also compared. The results show that the hydrophobic silica nanoparticles can form rough micro/nanostructure on the coating surface, since they act as a solid plasticizer capable of enhancing the surface properties. This work is divided in the following sections 1. Introduction 2. Mechanism of the sol-gel process 3. Literature review 4. Conclusion