Recent advances in fluorine-free functionalized nanomaterials for low-wettability applications

The reduction in wettability afforded by applying superhydrophobic coatings onto substrate materials imbues many useful properties. This review presents recent research advancements of superhydrophobic surfaces formed from functionalised nanoparticles in some of their most promising applications. Silica and metal oxide nanoparticles can be readily functionalised with commercially available hydrophobic compounds to lower their surface energy and can be easily applied to materials with complicated forms and topographies using methods such as spraying or dipping, thus making the coating process adaptable to many situations. Advances in these coatings for imbuing icephobicity, corrosion resistance, self-cleaning, oil-in-water separation, and anti-biofouling behaviour are presented in this short review.