Stable superhydrophobic surface: fabrication of interstitial cottonlike structure of copper nanocrystals by magnetron sputtering

A stable superhydrophobic copper surface was obtained by radio-frequency magnetic sputtering on Si (100) and quartz substrates. The water contact angle and sliding angle of the superhydrophobic copper surface were 160.5 degrees and 3 +/- 1.9 degrees, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photos show that the superhydrophobic surface structure comprises many uniform nanocrystals with a diameter of about 100 nm. A brief explanation of the formation of this special microstructure and the mechanism of its wettability were proposed.