Repellent Surfaces: Past Development, Present Status, and Future Perspective

Abstract Repellent surfaces that effectively curb the accrual of matters have a long history and still garner considerable attention in both academia and industry due to their great advantages in practical applications. Over the past 20 years, energetic research on repellent surfaces with superior wettability has made astonishing progress, and a myriad of dewetting surfaces have emerged. Herein, a systematic review of the repellent surfaces is presented, beginning with a brief retrospection of the past development. Then the design rationales, features, and weaknesses of three typical repellent surfaces, i.e., air‐mediated, liquid‐mediated, and liquid‐like surfaces are discussed. Subsequently, this review gives a detailed comparison of the three surfaces based on their characteristics in all aspects with a focus on the comprehensive performances. Next, the state‐of‐the‐art progress on the three categories of repellent surfaces for emerging applications is summarized. Last, the prospects of repellent surfaces in the future are addressed.