Superhydrophobic optically transparent silica films formed with a eutectic liquid

A eutectic liquid (choline chloride and urea) that served as a templating agent in sol–gel processing was used to prepare thin silica films on glass microscope slides. Subsequent extraction of the eutectic liquid yielded a film with a rough surface. After treating the film surface with a fluoroalkyl silane, the surface became superhydrophobic with a contact angle ∼ 170° and a contact angle hysteresis < 10°. The optical transmittance of the film coated on the glass slide was comparable to that of the microscope glass slide. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the surface structures; a tipless probe allowed measurement of the force of interaction with superhydrophobic surfaces. The interaction force between the AFM probe and the superhydrophobic surface was reduced greatly compared to that between the probe and the flat surface treated with fluoroalkyl silane.