Ultrahydrophobic Coatings

The development of ultrahydrophobic coatings that are safe, economic,and applicable to a variety of different materials will result in significant savings due to the prevention of any water-caused damage such as corrosion and reduced maintenance requirements. Recent studies of naturally occuring ultrahydrophobic properties in plants have identified the so-called "Lotus Effect", where super-water repellent properties are conferred by micro and nanostructures present on the plant leaf. Similar types of structural features can be synthetically produced using a variety of means to modulate surface energy and roughness. We propose, in collaboration with our STTR partner, to demonstrate methods that result in an ultrahydrophobic coating using an inexpensive, non-toxic, process. This process is applicable for the coating of large scale objects such as aircraft and auxiliary ground equipment. Protocols will be optimized and our modified surfaces will be characterized using standard corrosion and weathering tests.