Micropores (approximately 60 μm in diameter) and micropapillae (20 to 30 μm in diameter) were scattered on the surface of porous gel network, which were similar with cauliflower selleck chemicals pattern (Figure  1d). This porous structure could be selleck products attributed to phase separation of PPS phase [18, 20, 24]. Furthermore, thin and long PTFE nano-fibers with dimensions of 5 to 10 μm in length and

100 nm in width exhibited a needle-like morphology. They were distributed layer by layer on the surface of P2 coating (Figure  1e,f). The fluorine (F) was enriched at the top surface of P1 and P2 coating, as shown by the peak at 691.1 eV in the XPS survey spectra (Figure  2a). In addition, the C1s peak for P2 coating observed at 293.5 eV binding energy (C-F3) is similar to the peak at 292.1 eV (C-F2) for P1 coating (Figure  2b) [27, 28]. The above data indicates Lonafarnib in vivo the composition of the nano-fibers on P2 coating surface is mainly PTFE. In our previous

work, disorderly willow-like PTFE nano-fibers (20 to 30 μm in width) formed on the PTFE/PPS coating during the cooling process in the furnace that was exposed to air [18, 20]. In our current work, these PTFE nano-fibers of P2 coating distinctly extended at a certain direction under continuous H2 gas flow; therefore, nano-wires and ‘nano-bridges’ formed with good directional consistency as well as uniform nano-pores (approximately 100 to 500 nm in width). In conclusion, the P2 coating surface shows superior superhydrophobicity as verified Inositol monophosphatase 1 by WCA (170°) and WSA (0° to 1°) values. Compared with P1 coating with only nano-scale fiber structure, nano-wires and nano-bridges with good directional consistency covered the microscale papillae and the interface between them on P2 coating surface, leading to formation of uniform nano-scale pores (100 to 500 nm in width). As large amount of air was captured by the nano-scale pores, the actual contact area between the water droplet and the coating surface greatly decreased [29, 30]; therefore, the WCA of P2 coating

increased. Moreover, the adhesion of water droplets on the orderly thin and long nano-fibers was weakened resulting in the decrease of contact angle hysteresis [29]; therefore, water droplets on P2 coating rapidly rolled down. Furthermore, the P2 coating shows better superhydrophobicity than the PTFE/PPS coating (WCA of 165° and WSA of 5°) by the same composition and curing process [20]. It is mainly because external macroscopic force interference (H2 gas flow) can help to form MNBS structure with well-ordered nano-bridges and uniform nano-pores (approximately 100 to 500 nm in width) (Figure  1f). Therefore, external macroscopic force interference by H2 gas flow during the curing and cooling processes can be a good new method for controllable fabrication of well-ordered polymer MNBS structure with lotus effect.