Composite, nanostructured, super-hydrophobic material

Abstract

A method of making a hydrophobic, disordered composite material having protrusive surface features includes the following steps: making a disordered composite body comprised of a recessive phase and a protrusive phase, the recessive phase having a higher susceptibility to a preselected etchant than the protrusive phase; treating a surface of the composite body with the preselected etchant so that the protrusive phase protrudes from the surface to form a plurality of protrusive surface features and the recessive phase defines a recessive surface between the surface features; and applying a hydrophobic coating to the protrusive surface features.

1 . A method of making a hydrophobic, disordered composite material having protrusive surface features comprising:
 a. making a disordered composite body comprised of a recessive phase and a protrusive phase, said recessive phase being contiguous and said protrusive phase being contiguous, said recessive and protrusive phases forming an interpenetrating structure, said recessive phase having a higher susceptibility to a preselected etchant than said protrusive phase;   b. treating a surface of said composite body with said preselected etchant so that said protrusive phase protrudes from said surface to form a plurality of protrusive surface features and said recessive phase defines a recessive surface between said surface features; and   c. applying a hydrophobic coating to said protrusive surface feature.   
     
     
         2 . A method of making a hydrophobic, disordered composite material in accordance with  claim 1  wherein step (a) further comprises:
 1. providing a precursor that separates into differentially etchable phases; and   2. treating said precursor to separate said precursor into differentially etchable phases.   
     
     
         3 . A method of making a hydrophobic, disordered composite material in accordance with  claim 2  wherein said step of treating said precursor to separate said precursor into differentially etchable phases involves spinodal decomposition.