Biomimetic superhydrophobic films drop-coated with zinc oxide modified molecular sieves

Superhydrophobic films have a wide range of applications in industry due to their hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties. A simple and economical method is proposed in this paper to prepare a superhydrophobic surface by creatively using microstructures consisting of zinc oxide particles on molecular sieves. The combination of zinc oxide particles and molecular sieves are embedded into polydimethylsiloxane films to form stable biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces. In this way, a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of up to 162.3° and a water rolling angle of about 3.2° have been prepared. The surface has excellent self-cleaning ability, thermal stability, water impact resistance, UV stability and environmental friendliness. The film could be prepared using a drop-coating method, which greatly broaden the range of applications for the superhydrophobic film.