Facile preparation of superhydrophobic nanorod surfaces through ion‐beam irradiation

Obtaining superhydrophobic surfaces for their application in electronics and flexible wearable devices remains a significant challenge. Most previously reported methods for obtaining superhydrophobic surfaces involve complex and expensive preparation techniques and thus cannot be used for practical applications. Ion‐beam irradiation is a simple and promising method for fabricating superhydrophobic nanostructures on large areas at a low cost. Ion‐beam irradiation using argon and oxygen gases was used to prepare silica nanorod structures on glass substrates. This study is not just a modification of the surface of nanoparticles, but a change in nanoparticle shape. The nanorods were subsequently treated with perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane to obtain superhydrophobicity. The surface of the silica nanorods exhibited a static water contact angle of 153°, indicating superhydrophobicity. The combination of rough structures of silica nanorods and low surface energy resulted in superhydrophobicity. The surface properties were evaluated in detail using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The proposed method is facile, inexpensive, and can be used for the large‐scale production of nanorod structures for potential industrial applications.