An easy-to-implement method for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces inspired by taro leaf

An easy-to-implement method by which to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces inspired taro leaf was successfully applied on316 L stainless steel via combining nanosecond laser(NL)processing and spin-coating techniques.The laser-textured surface composed of microscale frameworks and central bumps was fabricated by NL processing based on properly designed biomimetic patterns,and a layer of nanoscale carbon black/polydimethylsiloxane(CB/PDMS)particles was covered on it by spin-coating.The effect of pattern parameters(i.e.,the inscribed circle radius of framework and the radius of central bump)on wettability of biomimetic surface was investigated.All as-prepared biomimetic surfaces with micro-nano hierarchical structures showed excellent superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of~155°and contact angle hysteresis of~2°.By comparing the untreated surface,the wetting behavior and evaporation mode of the biomimetic surface occurred an obvious transformation.Meanwhile,experiments indicated that the biomimetic surface not only had liquid-repelling and self-cleaning functions,but also maintained remarkable mechanical robustness and superhydrophobic durability.The method is efficient for fabricating biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces applied to liquid-repelling,evaporation-transforming and self-cleaning fields.