Durable Super-repellent Surfaces: From Solid−Liquid Interaction to Applications

CONSPECTUS:A super-repellent surface is a type of liquid-repellency material that allows for various liquid drops to bead up,roll off,or even bounce back.Known for its ability to remain dry,perform self-cleaning,and have a low adhesion,a super-repellent surface presents great advantages in a number of applications.These include antifogging,anti-icing,oil/water separation,and fluid drag reduction.To fend off the liquids or drops,super-repellent surfaces combine the merits of surface chemistry and physical structure.By taking advantage of a low surface energy to prevent liquid from spreading,the super-repellent surfaces utilize the micronano structure to provide a framework that confines the solid−liquid interactions.Compared to beading up the drop of water,the repellence of liquid with low surface tension requires the subtle design of surface structure to resist the wetting of liquids.However,the inherent instabilities of the fragile micronano structure of super-repellent surfaces and solid−liquid interactions further make the fabrication of super-repellent surfaces complex to withstand dynamic environments(friction or wear)during application.In addition,the transparency and thermal stability of super-repellent surfaces are also the restrictive factors in some special application scenarios.To solve these challenges,durable super-repellent surfaces that can repel various liquids,possess robust mechanical and thermal stability,and show high transparency have been explored extensively in recent years.