Preparation of Robust Superhydrophobic Surfaces Based on the Screen Printing Method.

Abstract

The bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces have demonstrated many fascinating performances in fields such as self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, energy-harvesting devices, and antibacterial coatings. However, developing a low-cost, feasible, and scalable production approach to fabricate robust superhydrophobic surfaces has remained one of the main challenges in the past decades. In this paper, we propose an uncommon method for the fabrication of a durable superhydrophobic coating on the surface of the glass slide (GS). By utilizing the screen printing method and high-temperature curing, the epoxy resin grid (ERG) coating was uniformly and densely loaded on the surface of GS (ERG@GS). Subsequently, the hydrophobic silica (H-SiO₂) was deposited on the surface of ERG@GS by the impregnation method, thereby obtaining a superhydrophobic surface (H-SiO₂@ERG@GS). It is demonstrated that the micro-grooves in ERG can provide a large specific surface area for the deposition of low surface energy materials, while the micro-columns can offer excellent protection for the superhydrophobic coating when it is subjected to mechanical wear. It is important to note that micro-columns, micro-grooves, and nano H-SiO₂ jointly form the micro-nano structure, providing a uniform and robust rough structure for the superhydrophobic surface. Therefore, the combination of a micro-nano rough structure, low surface energy material, and air cushion effect endow the material with excellent durability and superhydrophobic property. The results show that H-SiO₂@ERG@GS possesses excellent self-cleaning property, mechanical durability, and chemical stability, indicating that this preparation method of the robust superhydrophobic coating has significant practical application value.