Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 8886

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China
Interests: functional surface; bionic design and manufacturing
Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (KLBE), Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: biological sensing mechanism; bio-inspired sensors; biomimetic composites; steam generation; oil–water separation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Mechanical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: bionic tribology; bionic design and manufacturing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue of Coatings, entitled "Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials". Hydrophobic surfaces and materials have widespread application prospects in national defense, industrial and agricultural production and daily life due to their excellent superhydrophobicity. For example, the use of superhydrophobic technology used in outdoor antennas can prevent the accumulation of snow to ensure the quality of communication; its use in the shell of ships and submarines can not only reduce resistance and improve navigation speed, but also achieve effective anti-fouling and anti-corrosion properties; its use in the inner wall of oil pipelines and micro-syringe needle tip can prevent adhesion and blockage and reduce loss; its used in textiles, leather, but also in waterproof and anti-fouling clothing and leather shoes. Therefore, the application of hydrophobic surfaces and materials has extensive prospects, with relevancy to aerospace and military industries, transportation, agriculture, construction, medical treatment, daily textiles and other aspects.

Superhydrophobic phenomena in nature are realized through continuous evolution in structure and function in order to adapt to their living environment. Scientists can uncover the mystery behind this phenomenon, through the composition of these organisms and structure and function of the relationship, and they can copy the micro–nano structure through artificial methods (such as etching technology, solgel, chemical vapor deposition, mechanical stretching, polymer solution film, template technology, electrospinning technology, electrochemical method, self-assembly technology, corrosion metal, etc.) to obtain superhydrophobicity.

The scope of this Special Issue is focused on the latest research advances and frontiers of hydrophobic surfaces and materials in order to assist in solving a series of practical problems.

In particular, topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • anti-fouling;
  • drag reduction;
  • anti-corrosion;
  • antifogging;
  • anti-icing;
  • friction resistant.

Dr. Xiaoming Feng
Dr. Bo Li
Dr. Hujun Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Anti-fouling
  • Drag reduction
  • Anti-corrosion
  • Antifogging
  • Anti-icing
  • Friction resistant

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 990 KiB  
Article
Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Superhydrophobic Coatings for Anti-Icing Applications
by Avinash Borgaonkar and Greg McNamara
Coatings 2024, 14(10), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14101305 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 560
Abstract
Superhydrophobic coatings have great potential to mitigate ice accumulation and ice adhesion issues due to their outstanding water-repellent and self-cleaning characteristics. In the present study, polyurethane elastomer (PUE) is considered a superhydrophobic coating material for anti-icing applications. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of [...] Read more.
Superhydrophobic coatings have great potential to mitigate ice accumulation and ice adhesion issues due to their outstanding water-repellent and self-cleaning characteristics. In the present study, polyurethane elastomer (PUE) is considered a superhydrophobic coating material for anti-icing applications. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of bare aluminum and PUE-coated systems is performed using the Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden methodology. The cradle-to-gate LCA scope is implemented to evaluate and compare the total environmental impact. This study revealed that the PUE-coated system exhibited a significant reduction in total environmental impact compared to bare aluminum. The levelized cost of coating analysis demonstrates that the PUE coating system is more economical than bare aluminum surfaces. There is scope to reduce the environmental impact associated with PUE-coated systems using bio-based and less toxic chemicals/solvents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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22 pages, 6636 KiB  
Article
Chemical and UV Durability of Hydrophobic and Icephobic Surface Layers on Femtosecond Laser Structured Stainless Steel
by Roland Fürbacher, Gabriel Grünsteidl, Andreas Otto and Gerhard Liedl
Coatings 2024, 14(8), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14080924 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 741
Abstract
Femtosecond laser processing significantly alters the surface structure and chemical composition, impacting its wetting properties. Post-treatments such as immersion in a hydrocarbon liquid (petrol) or storage in a vacuum can significantly reduce ice adhesion, making the surfaces interesting for anti-ice applications. This study [...] Read more.
Femtosecond laser processing significantly alters the surface structure and chemical composition, impacting its wetting properties. Post-treatments such as immersion in a hydrocarbon liquid (petrol) or storage in a vacuum can significantly reduce ice adhesion, making the surfaces interesting for anti-ice applications. This study investigates their durability against acetone, ethylene glycol, and UV radiation. The laser-structured surfaces were immersed in the respective liquids for up to 48 h. The results indicate limited durability of the superhydrophobic and icephobic layers when submerged in acetone and ethylene glycol, with more favorable results for petrol treatment than vacuum treatment. Similar results were obtained after 100 h of UV exposure, showing a decrease in superhydrophobic properties and an increase in ice adhesion. However, repeated vacuum treatments conducted after the chemical durability tests revealed the potential for partial recovery of the hydrophobic and icephobic properties. XPS analysis was performed throughout the experiments to evaluate changes in surface chemistry resulting from the post-laser treatments and the durability tests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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14 pages, 4206 KiB  
Article
Water-Borne Photo-Thermal Superhydrophobic Coating for Anti-Icing, Self-Cleaning and Oil–Water Separation
by Jinsong Huang, Shengqi Lu, Yan Hu, Liming Liu and Hui You
Coatings 2024, 14(6), 758; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14060758 - 14 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1035
Abstract
Superhydrophobic coatings with photo-thermal effects have advantages in anti-/de-icing and self-cleaning. Here, an eco-friendly and low-cost fabrication of superhydrophobic coating was proposed by spraying a water-borne suspension including carbon black and paraffin wax onto substrate-independent surfaces. The a water-borne suspension coated on stain [...] Read more.
Superhydrophobic coatings with photo-thermal effects have advantages in anti-/de-icing and self-cleaning. Here, an eco-friendly and low-cost fabrication of superhydrophobic coating was proposed by spraying a water-borne suspension including carbon black and paraffin wax onto substrate-independent surfaces. The a water-borne suspension coated on stain steel plate showed a strong water-repellence, delaying the ice freezing time to 665 s, which is much higher than that of bare stain steel plate (210 s) under the same experimental condition. The ice-melting time was measured as 120 s under a solar irradiation of 0.1 W/cm2, while the control group had no sign of ice-melting during the same time. As a concept of proof, the self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, and oil–water separation were enabled by spraying the water-borne suspension on various substrates, demonstrating its diverse performances. Hence, the water-borne superhydrophibic coating provides an efficient, safe, and sustainable solution for wettability-related applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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16 pages, 8498 KiB  
Article
Micron-Smooth, Robust Hydrophobic Coating for Photovoltaic Panel Surfaces in Arid and Dusty Areas
by Rongrong Guo, Yuanhao Wang, Hao Lu, Shifeng Wang, Bohan Wang and Qiyu Zhang
Coatings 2024, 14(2), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14020239 - 18 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1869
Abstract
Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is a clean energy source, and the accumulation of ash on the surface of PV panels can lead to power loss. For polycrystalline PV panels, self-cleaning film is an economical and excellent solution. However, the main reasons why self-cleaning [...] Read more.
Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is a clean energy source, and the accumulation of ash on the surface of PV panels can lead to power loss. For polycrystalline PV panels, self-cleaning film is an economical and excellent solution. However, the main reasons why self-cleaning coatings are currently difficult to use on a large scale are poor durability and low transparency. It is a challenge to improve the durability and transparency of self-cleaning thin films for PV panel surface against ash accumulation. Therefore, in this paper, a resin composite film containing modified silica components was designed and synthesized, mainly by the organic/inorganic composite method. A transparent hydrophobic coating with nano-micro planar structures was constructed, which primarily relies on the hydrophobic properties of the compound itself to build the hydrophobic oleophobic coating. The layer has a micrometer-scale smooth surface structure and high transparency, with a 0.69% increase in light transmittance compared with uncoated glass, and the durability is good. It is mainly applied to the surface of photovoltaic devices, which can alleviate the dust accumulation problem of photovoltaic panels in arid, high-temperature, and dusty areas and reduce the maintenance cost of them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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12 pages, 6439 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Self-Cleaning Properties of a Superhydrophobic Composite Coating on a Stainless Steel Substrate
by Fengqin Li, Yuxue Hu, Xiaoming Feng and Guizhong Tian
Coatings 2024, 14(2), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14020198 - 2 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1313
Abstract
In order to improve the anti-fouling of stainless steel surfaces in outdoor or humid environments, a superhydrophobic modification is often used to improve its self-cleaning performance. However, the mechanical stability of superhydrophobic surfaces remains a challenge. In this paper, a two-step preparation method [...] Read more.
In order to improve the anti-fouling of stainless steel surfaces in outdoor or humid environments, a superhydrophobic modification is often used to improve its self-cleaning performance. However, the mechanical stability of superhydrophobic surfaces remains a challenge. In this paper, a two-step preparation method was adopted to prepare the micro–nanocomposite coating, which innovatively combined “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches, and also coupled together two key factors that affect superhydrophobicity: a rough microstructure, and low surface energy. The silver mirror, adhesion, and pollution-resistance results show that the composite coating samples, which were obtained by optimizing the preparation process, have excellent water repellency and self-cleaning properties. Meanwhile, the samples demonstrate outstanding mechanical stability, and can resist damage from sandpaper and tape. The two-step preparation method was simple, fast, and efficient. This method could be popularized and applied to the preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces on metal substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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16 pages, 11109 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Contact Angle for Oriented Hydrophobic Surface and Experimental Verification by Micro-Milling
by Yiwen Zhu, Wei Xu, Ziyang Cao, Wenlu Meng, Jiawei Ni, Jie Pan and Dong Wei
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081305 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2191
Abstract
The rectangular microgroove surfaces have obvious anisotropy, which can control the movement of water droplets in parallel and vertical directions. Based on such a property, anisotropic functional surfaces are expected to have potential applications in the fields of droplet-oriented delivery and microfluidics. Micro-milling [...] Read more.
The rectangular microgroove surfaces have obvious anisotropy, which can control the movement of water droplets in parallel and vertical directions. Based on such a property, anisotropic functional surfaces are expected to have potential applications in the fields of droplet-oriented delivery and microfluidics. Micro-milling can accurately adjust the dimension of microstructures, which is convenient to explore the optimal micro-structural parameters. In this study, the non-composite and composite state prediction models of contact angle on the oriented hydrophobic surface were established based on minimum Gibbs free energy, and the effect of micro-structural dimension parameters on contact angle was investigated. Then, the rectangular microgroove structure on 316 L stainless steel was prepared using micro-milling. The composite state prediction model of contact angle was found to be more consistent with the actual situation, and reducing the width of the convex platform was beneficial to increasing the contact angle. In particular, the contact angle in the parallel direction reached 146.5° when the width of the convex platform was 60 μm, and the accuracy of the prediction model was 98.4%. The proposed prediction models of contact angle provide a theoretical basis for designing and preparing oriented hydrophobic surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydrophobic Surface and Materials)
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