Fabrication of superhydrophobic silicone rubber operating in water

A periodic microswelling structure on silicone rubber fabricated through 193 nm ArF excimer laser-induced photodissociation was coated with a 50-nm-thick, textured Al thin film to realize the superhydrophobicity of approximately 165 degrees of contact angle of water. The textured Al thin film was obtained automatically during vacuum evaporation only on the silicone rubber, compared with a silica glass or silicone resin substrate. As a result, a large air gap layer was formed between the Al-coated silicone and water; an electric field of 5 V/mm could be applied to the surface of the Al-coated silicone even in 3 wt% NaCl aqueous solution. (C) 2018 The Japan Society of Applied Physics