New approach to fabricate an extremely super-amphiphobic surface based on fluorinated silica nanoparticles

Superoleophobic surfaces possessing static contact angles greater than 140 degrees with organic liquids are extremely rare. A simple approach has been developed to fabricate an extremely superamphiphobic coating material based on fluorinated silica nanoparticles resulting contact angles of water and diiodomethane at 167.5 degrees and 158.6 degrees, respectively. The contact angle of diiodomethane at 158.6 degrees is substantially higher than the highest literature reported value we know of at 110 degrees. In addition, this developed film also possesses extremely high contact angles with other organic liquids such as soybean oil (146.6 degrees), decahysronaphthalene (142.5 degrees), diesel fuel (140.4 degrees), and xylene (140.5 degrees). This developed superamphiphobic organic-inorganic hybrid film possesses unique liquid repellency for both water and organic liquids that can be used as functional coatings on numerous substrates by a simple coating process. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.