Rapid fabrication of superhydrophobic/superaerophilic coatings via flame pyrolysis of PDMS for drag reduction

Abstract

Superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces show considerable potential for fluid drag reduction, yet rapidly fabricating surfaces that combine superhydrophobicity with superaerophilicity remains challenging. Herein, we present a rapid, one-step flame pyrolysis strategy to fabricate SH coatings that exhibit static superhydrophobicity/superaerophilicity, dynamic impact resistance, and notable drag reduction performance. The SH coatings demonstrate a water contact angle greater than 169.1° and a sliding angle below 1.0°. Under impact at high Weber number (326.7) and Reynolds number (8400.0), the droplet enables complete bouncing within 15 ms, reflecting excellent dynamic stability. Owing to the superaerophilicity of the micro-nano composite structure and its ability to sustain a stable Cassie–Baxter state, the SH spheres exhibit a 40% increase in movement speed across water surface relative to the pristine PDMS spheres. Notably, the entire coating can be fabricated within only 3 s, demonstrating high feasibility for practical applications. These results highlight the strong potential of our flame-pyrolyzed SH coatings in fluid drag reduction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

superhydrophobicity / PDMS / flame pyrolysis / drag reduction

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