Fabrication of Robust Hydrophobic and Super-Hydrophobic Polymer Films with Onefold or Dual Inverse Opal Structures

Hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic materials have many important applications, but most of the artificially hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic surfaces suffer from poor durability. Herein, a facile method is reported to fabricate robust hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic polymer films through backfilling the silica colloidal crystal templates with the mixture of fluoropolymer, thermoset hydroxyl acrylate resins, and curing agent. After removal of the template, 3D ordered porous structures are obtained. The obtained polymer films have not only excellent hydrophobic or super-hydrophobic properties but also good stability against temperatures, acids, and alkalis. Dual ordered porous structure can obviously enhance the hydrophobicity of polymer films compared to unitary one.