Fabrication of superhydrophobic ZnO/Zn surface with nanowires and nanobelts structures using novel plasma assisted thermal vapor deposition

Superhydrophobic ZnO surfaces with a contact angle of about 157° and a tilt angle lower than 9° were fabricated on commercial glass substrates via novel plasma assisted thermal vapor deposition method. Interconnected ZnO nanobelts and nanowires were constructed on the glass surfaces by Ar plasma activated Zn vapor deposition and then followed by a low-pressure-air (5 Pa) thermal oxidation at 350 °C. The resulting glass slides uniformly covered with nano-structured ZnO exhibited excellent superhydrophobic properties without any additional chemical modification. Moreover, the transparency and conductivity of the ZnO glass slides could be regulated easily by varying the oxidation parameters. The results of this study might pave a new pathway to the fabrication of superhydrophobic transparent conducting surface used in engineering fields.