Superhydrophobic Materials: Versatility and Translational Applications

Inspired by the lotus leaf in nature, superhydrophobic materials have attracted considerable attention in both science and industry over the past three decades. Apart from the most characteristic yet widely used properties such as waterproofing, anti-fouling, and self-cleaning, superhydrophobic materials have also developed exciting new functions such as drag reduction, corrosion resistance, anti-icing, anti-bacteria, and anti-reflection. In this review article, the theoretical models describing superhydrophobic surfaces are first briefly introduced. Then, the most common substrates and strategies for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces are presented. After that, the application scenarios for superhydrophobic materials in various fields of daily life are systematically presented, from transportation, architecture/building protection, oil/water separation, and seawater desalination to biomedical device fabrication, biosensing, energy conversion and utilization, and textile manufacturing. In particular, the special functional properties are presented and the most representative applications of superhydrophobic materials in the last decade are highlighted. Finally, the potential challenges in translating superhydrophobic materials from the laboratory to practical applications are discussed.