Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Transparent superhydrophobic and highly oleophobic coatings
1Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Abstract:
We report a facile process for fabrication of transparent superhydrophobic and highly oleophobic surfaces through assembly of silica nanoparticles and sacrificial polystyrene nanoparticles. The silica and polystyrene nanoparticles are first deposited by a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The polystyrene nanoparticles are then removed by calcination, which leaves a porous network of silica nanoparticles. The cavities created by the sacrificial polystyrene particles form overhang structures on the surfaces. Modified with a fluorocarbon molecule, such surfaces are superhydrophobic and transparent. They also repel liquids with low surface tensions, such as hexadecane, due to the overhang structures that prevent liquids from getting into the air pockets even though the intrinsic contact angles of these liquids are less than 90 degrees.
More Related Videos
08:02Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars
Published on: February 11, 2020
07:37TiO2-coated Hollow Glass Microspheres with Superhydrophobic and High IR-reflective Properties Synthesized by a Soft-chemistry Method
Published on: April 26, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Colloids
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...
Surface Active Agents
Cohesion
On a surface,...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...