Transparent, Superhydrophobic, and Wear-Resistant Coatings on Glass and Polymer Substrates Using SiO2, ZnO, and ITO Nanoparticles

It is of significant interest to create surfaces that simultaneously exhibit high water contact angle, low contact angle hysteresis, and high transmission of visible light, as well as mechanical wear resistance for industrial applications. The fabrication of such surfaces has often involved complex or expensive processes, required techniques that were not suitable for a variety of substrates and particles, required surface post-treatment, or lacked wear resistance. A systematic study has been performed in which transparent superhydrophobic surfaces were created on glass, polycarbonate, and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates using surface-functionalized SiO2, ZnO, and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles. The contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and optical transmittance were measured for samples using all particle-substrate combinations. To examine wear resistance, multiscale wear experiments were performed using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a water jet apparatus.