Energy efficient one-pot synthesis of durable superhydrophobic coating through nylon micro-rods

A durable and superhydrophobic coating was fabricated at room temperature through encapsulating nylon micro-rods in a hydrophobic silica shell. This was achieved through the precipitation of miniemulsified nylon under high shear to generate micro-rods with high aspect ratio in the presence of methyltrimethoxysilane. The resultant coating structure resembles a network of highly entangled micro-rods that give rise to both surface roughness and hydrophobicity, resulting in contact angles greater than 155°. The embedded nylon polymer within the micro-rods imparts significant mechanical durability to the surface, resulting in a coating hardness of 2H using the pencil hardness test.