Sandpaper as template for a robust superhydrophobic surface with self-cleaning and anti-snow/icing performances

Superhydrophobic surfaces have important applications in various fields. However, the development of artificial superhydrophobic surfaces for large scale applications is hindered by their poor mechanical and chemical robustness. In this study, a simple, inexpensive, and scalable strategy was reported to create a versatile superhydrophobic surface that used sandpaper as a template to lock-in the fluorinated inorganic/organic film. The surface exhibited exceptional mechanical robustness, pressure stability, and repellency to hot water. Moreover, the surface could be widely stuck to any substrate by using a double-sided adhesive or glue. Interestingly, the surface with superamphiphobic properties exhibited superior self-cleaning and anti-snow/icing performance even after its top layer was exposed to 50 abrasion cycles with sandpaper. Besides, it had excellent repellency to corrosive liquids and substances with low-surface-energy. We envision that the superhydrophobic sandpaper surface will have a potential application in infrastructure and medicine, and can also behave as an effective antifouling and anti-snow/icing material operating in harsh environments.