Substrate-versatile approach to fabricate mechanochemically robust and superhydrophobic surfaces from waste fly ash

The practical applications of superhydrophobic surfaces are often hampered by some disadvantages such as sophisticated preparation procedures, poor durability, and expensive raw materials. In this work, we provide a simple, low-cost, and versatile strategy to fabricate robust and multifunctional superhydrophobic surfaces. In virtue of the flexibility of commercial adhesives, waste fly ash particles coated with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane were bonded firmly on various substrates to render them superhydrophobicity. The prepared surface showed superhydrophobic and self-cleaning performances both in air and oil. Meanwhile, it exhibited excellent mechanical durability against knife scratch and sandpaper abrasion. Besides, the prepared surface remained superhydrophobic after UV irradiation for 72 h, heating up to 180 °C, and storage for 6 months. Moreover, great anti-icing performance of the prepared surface demonstrated its good practicability in cold-climate weather. Apart from these general properties, the novel and simple fabrication method of various superhydrophobic patterns further widen its promising potential applications in real life.