Superhydrophobic Coatings on Wood

Abstract

Wood is one of the most important materials for our future, but it requires protection from damage caused by its complex interactions with water. Superhydrophobic surfaces offer a new way to prevent excessive liquid water uptake and research in recent years has produced many exciting approaches to their manufacture. This chapter describes the need for and the state of the art of wood protection, presents the main methods for fabricating superhydrophobic wood surfaces and possible areas of application, and discusses what steps are still necessary for superhydrophobic wood to make a commercial breakthrough soon.