Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Hierarchical Structures via Water Vapor Condensation

Surfaces with a water contact angle greater than 150° are defined as superhydrophobic surfaces, exhibiting characteristics such as water repellency, self-cleaning ability, and extremely low friction with water droplets. Most superhydrophobic surfaces possess micro- or nanoscale hierarchical structures; however, the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces typically requires considerable time and cost. Herein, we report a facile method for fabricating hierarchical structures via condensation of water vapor to address these problems. The size of the hierarchical structures can be controlled by adjusting the condensation time. The hierarchical structures via water vapor condensation exhibit the features of superhydrophobic surfaces, as confirmed by measurements of contact angle, sliding angle, and droplet impact behavior. As a feasible application, a self-cleaning test is also carried out. The facile fabrication method in this study is expected to be easily applicable for hierarchical structure formation and further extended to large-area sample production.