3. Superhydrophobic and superoleophobic surfaces

3.1 Definitions

Superhydrophobic surfaces can be defined as surfaces with little or no affinity for water. A popular image of this effect is that of a drop of water rolling over a lotus leaf, without ever adhering to it. This property is ensured by the low wettability of the material by water, and, as already mentioned above, by the surface texture that traps air between the water and the material. The result is a liquid, sometimes described as a suspended liquid, in the Cassie-Baxter regime, where one of the two materials forming the composite surface is air (§ ...