Preliminary development of a spider-inspired structure for underwater application

This paper introduces the preliminary results of developing a spider-inspired hydrophobic hairy structure for air shield forming underwater. A fabrication procedure is proposed for rapid production of samples in various hair densities. The samples can form dry islands in a puddle of water. Wetting tests are performed to confirm the importance of hair density and water kinetics. Further analysis of contact angle and wetting hysteresis indicates the mechanism of water breaking through the hair-arrays protection. Results of the preliminary study indicate the future development and promising applications in underwater electronics protection and adhesives integration.