A simple fabrication method for mechanically robust superhydrophobic surface by hierarchical aluminum hydroxide structures

Superhydrophobic surfaces with uniformly superhydrophobic surface where nano-scale structures were fabricated by alkali surface modification method and self-assembled monolayer coating. To enhance mechanical durability of the superhydrophobicity, we propose the fabrication process for dual-scale hierarchical structures combining both microstructure via sandblasting techniques and the nano-structured aluminum hydroxide layer. The superhydrophobic surfaces fabricated by both methods exhibited a high water contact angle and very low contact angle hysteresis. By forming the hierarchical structure, the mechanical durability of superhydrophobic aluminumhydroxide surface was improved. The resulting hierarchical structures are suitable for diverse applications of aluminum in various industrial areas, including self-cleaning, anti-frosting, and microfluidic devices for rigorous environments. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.