Combining hierarchical surface roughness with fluorinated surface chemistry to preserve superhydrophobicity after organic contamination

Surfaces exhibiting superhydrophobicity are attracting commercial and academic attention because of their potential applications in, for example, self-cleaning utensils, microfluidic systems, and microelectronic devices. In this study, we prepared a fluorinated superhydrophobic surface displaying nanoscale roughness, a superhydrophobic surface possessing a micro- and nanoscale binary structure, and a fluorinated superhydrophobic surface possessing such a binary structure. We investigated the effects of the (i) hierarchy of the surface topography and (ii) the surface chemical composition of the superhydrophobic carbon nanotube/polybenzoxazine coatings on their ability to retain superhydrophobicity upon contamination with particles and organic matter, an important characteristic for maintaining non-wetting properties under outdoor conditions. We have found that the topographical microstructure and the surface chemical composition are both important factors for preservation of the non-wetting properties of such superhydrophobic surfaces upon contamination with organic matter.