A general method for the preparation of superhydrophobic organic-inorganic nanocomposite
coatings by atmospheric pressure cold plasma is presented. The method consists of a singlestep
room-temperature aerosol-assisted deposition process in which the aerosol of a
dispersion of oleate-capped ZnO nanoparticles in liquid hydrocarbon precursors (i.e., a
mixture of n-octane and 1,7-octadiene) is injected in a dielectric barrier discharge. The
plasma-deposited hydrocarbon polymer/ZnO nanoparticles nanocomposite coatings show
multifunctional behavior and specifically combine the photocatalytic properties of ZnO with
superhydrophobicity; the latter results from the synergistic effect of the hierarchical
multiscale surface texture due to the incorporation of nanoparticles and the low surface
energy organic component formed via plasma polymerization of the hydrocarbon precursors
