Abstract:
Persistent accumulation of multiphase media—including water, ice, particulates, corrosive species, and biofouling—on engineering interfaces is a primary trigger for in-service performance degradation and premature structural failure. Developing long-lasting superhydrophobic surfaces that retain robust wettability regulation under long-term service and multi-field coupled conditions has therefore emerged as a pivotal route to address this challenge. Within the framework of bioinspired wetting mechanisms and classical models (e.g., Wenzel and Cassie–Baxter), this work systematically elucidates the governing laws of wetting-state evolution arising from the synergistic interplay among surface chemistry, micro/nanostructures, and interfacial air cushions, and summarizes the dominant failure modes driven cooperatively by mechanical damage, chemical/environmental degradation, and multiphase contaminant infiltration/filling. Building on a “structure–interface–function” integrated design paradigm, we classify the construction routes of long-lasting superhydrophobic surfaces into three major strategies: (i) enhancing cohesive strength and interfacial adhesion; (ii) enabling self-healing and stimuli-responsive regulation; and (iii) structural reinforcement and optimization. We further review their application performance in mitigating multiphase accumulation and distill three overarching challenges shared across the field. Finally, we argue that future efforts should prioritize establishing standardized and unified durability testing protocols, formulating multi-objective cooperative design principles that simultaneously address mechanical robustness, wetting stability, and functional integrity, and accelerating the transition of superhydrophobic surfaces from laboratory proof-of-concept to engineering deployment in extreme environments. This review aims to provide methodological underpinnings and practical design guidance for engineering long-lasting superhydrophobic interfaces in complex scenarios such as marine engineering, aerospace, energy equipment, and biomedical applications.