Miniature boats with striking loading capacity fabricated from superhydrophobic copper meshes

A novel kind of miniature boat that might have many potential applications was fabricated from superhydrophobic copper meshes for the first time. These boats not only floated freely on a water surface but also exhibited striking loading capacities. By selection of the pore size of copper meshes, a loading capacity greater than 11.0 g could be readily achieved for a boat of 8.0 cm(3) in volume. The large loading capacity is believed to arise from the air film surrounding the superhydrophobic surfaces of boats. The results of this study present new applications of artificial superhydrophobic surfaces in areas of miniature aquatic devices.