Efficiently texturing hierarchical superhydrophobic fluoride-free translucent films by AACVD with excellent durability and self-cleaning ability

Translucent and superhydrophobic glass surfaces were fabricated by one-step deposition of a composite from the precursors, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition. A raspberry-like hierarchical structure was obtained due to the nanoparticles being decomposed by the TEOS precursor and deposited around the micro-scale particles formed by the hydrolysis of the PDMS precursor. In this work, a translucent and superhydrophobic film was prepared by using optimized parameters (T: 290–330 °C, deposition time: 15–30 min) and the resulting water contact angle and sliding angle were >160° and