Fabrication and characterization of superhydrophobic Sb(2)O(3) films

Superhydrophobic Sb(2)O(3) films with micro-nanoscale hierarchical structures have been successfully synthesized for the first time. The resultant materials were characterized in detail by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and water contact angle measurements. The water static contact angle of the obtained Sb(2)O(3) film is about 159° ± 2° and the sliding angle is less than 5°. Reasonable mechanisms for the formation of micro-nanoscale hierarchical structures and for the superhydrophobic properties with a small sliding angle of the obtained Sb(2)O(3) film are also presented in this work.