journal article·2026-06-10Open access

Engineering Robust Superhydrophobic Materials

Zhijie Zhang, Zeye Liu, Jiandong Han, Cunming Yu, Shichao Niu, Yuzhen Ning, Kesong Liu

Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials exhibit exceptional water repellency and hold great promise for diverse engineering applications. However, their large‐scale practical deployment in real‐world scenarios remains challenging, primarily owing to the poor stability of their superhydrophobicity. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the critical challenges governing robust superhydrophobicity, with particular emphasis on Cassie–Baxter state stability, mechanical robustness, and weather resistance. Representative engineering strategies are compared to address these issues and enhance the robustness of superhydrophobic materials. The durability of superhydrophobic materials under real‐world is underscored to facilitate industrial translation. Finally, future prospects of superhydrophobic materials are discussed with a focus on engineering‐oriented performance criteria, scalable fabrication technologies, molecular‐level design, and artificial intelligence (AI)‐assisted methodology, which will enable the rational design of engineering robust superhydrophobic materials.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity · Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods · Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Bio‐inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education School of Chemistry Beihang University Beijing China

Tianmushan Laboratory Hangzhou China

The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education) Jilin University Changchun China

School of Materials Design and Engineering Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology Beijing China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

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