Fabrication of durable superhydrophobic surface through silica-dissolution-assisted etching template approach

A convenient fabrication approach is proposed for a durable superhydrophobic epoxy surface. By duplicating micro-rough topography of the template, covalently grafting with TiO2 nanoparticles, and treating with perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane, the surface shows superhydrophobicity with a high static contact angle (162.0°) and a low sliding angle (2.5°), respectively. And its WCA has hardly changed along with the pH value of solutions. Besides, the superhydrophobic property remains constant even after 144 h long-term UV radiation or 16 cycles of friction tests. The surface also exhibits superior self-cleaning resilience for organic contaminants of oleic acid, kerosene, lubricants, and vegetable oil by TiO2 photocatalysis degradation of pollution.