Flexible superhydrophobic ZnO coating harvesting antibacterial and washable properties

The problem of bacterial proliferation on medical or food processing devices has been a challenge for decades. A facile and environmental-friendly fabrication of superhydrophobic coating has been reported. Modified ZnO nano particles can self-assemble on the water surface and construct into a membrane, which is subsequently "print" on a tape, significantly simplify the preparation process and time. The fabricated coating showed excellent superhydrophobicity and water drop impact resistance. Moreover, the coating had long-time underwater stability and strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Importantly, its flexibility and self-cleaning property make the coating can be applied to various complex shapes, satisfying actual health care needs on a large scale.