Superhydrophobic surfaces and their applications for drag reduction

A comprehensive review describes the recent advances in superhydrophobic surfaces and their applications for drag reduction.

Nowadays, superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted a lot of interest because of the wide range of applications in industries. These surfaces can significantly reduce the drag force due to the formation of air gaps between the substrate and liquid interface.

Progresses in the drag reduction studies using superhydrophobic surfaces
A present review mainly focuses on the very recent progresses in the drag reduction studies using superhydrophobic surfaces. Also, a brief discussion about the mathematical modeling and the theories of superhydrophobic surfaces, natural water repellent surfaces, various fabrication techniques with advantages and disadvantages of each method and different properties of the fabricated surfaces in industrial applications is presented.

Finally, the limitations of using such surfaces in industrial applications, which deals with harsh and destructive environment conditions, are addressed and further research topics and future outlooks to improve the durability of the superhydrophobic surfaces are discussed.