Recent developments in the fabrication, performance, and application of transparent superhydrophobic coatings

Conventional superhydrophobic coatings frequently rely excessively on micron-sized protrusions on the surface, which leads to light scattering effects and significantly reduces the light transmission of the materials, thus limiting the range of coating applications. Transparent superhydrophobic coatings further expand the applications of coatings in areas such as solar photovoltaic panels, electronic components, architectural glass, automotive, cultural heritage preservation, and biomedical applications by combining the common properties of superhydrophobic coatings with optical transparency. This review summarizes the basic principles of transparent superhydrophobic coatings from the perspectives of superhydrophobicity and transparency theories. Advancements and characteristics of various fabrication processes are summarized. In addition, this review summarizes the strategies for synchronizing the superhydrophobicity with the transparency of the coatings and the mechanisms for enhancing the durability of the coatings. Finally, the progress in the applications is summarized and prospects of transparent superhydrophobic coating research are proposed. In all, transparent superhydrophobic coatings should be developed in the direction of balancing environmental friendliness, durability, optical transparency, and intelligence. This review is expected to effectively supplement existing works of literature on transparent superhydrophobic coatings and provide more insights for the large-scale applications of transparent superhydrophobic coatings in the future.