Transparent, Thermally Stable and Mechanically Robust Superhydrophobic Surfaces Made from Porous Silica Capsules

Robust transparent superhydrophobic coatings are advantageous for convenient and cost-effective maintenance of a variety of surfaces. Until now most coatings suffer from poor mechanical stability. Based on porous silica capsules we developed an easy to apply method to overcome these limitations. The coating is not only mechanically robust but also highly transparent as demonstrated by applying it to organic solar cells, keeping its high performance unaltered.