2Manufacture and Characterization of Hot-Embossed Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces have raised a great deal of attention in recent years because of their numerous potential applications. In this work, a method of manufacturing "large" superhydrophobic surfaces using very fine stainless steel mesh to "hot-emboss" hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces is provided. A high static contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis for these "xPTFE" superhydrophobic surfaces were measured as approximately 150 degrees and 15 degrees, respectively. The surfaces' structures were investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Otherwise, the slip-length was measured using a rheometer as approximately 30 pin, which indicates a great potential drag reduction. This easy and inexpensive method could be a great step to bring superhydrophobic surfaces into real-world use.