Fabrication of stable and durable superhydrophobic surface on copper substrates for oil–water separation and ice-over delay

We report a simple and rapid method to fabricate superhydrophobic films on copper substrates via Fe3+ etching and octadecanethiol (ODT) modification. The etching process can be as short as 5 min and the ODT treatment only takes several seconds. In addition, the whole process is quite flexible in reaction time. The superhydrophobicity of as-prepared surfaces is mechanically durable and chemically stable, which have great performance in oil–water separation and ice-over resistance.

Graphical abstractA chemically stable and mechanically durable superhydrophobic surface on copper substrates with excellent performance in oil spill clean and ice-over delay was fabricated.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (168 K)Download as PowerPoint slide