| abstract |
An article to be inserted into the human body has a superhydrophobic surface. The superhydrophobic surface is coated with a water soluble thin but durable protective coat. One positioned inside the body the coating is rapidly dissolved by the blood or other fluids and exposes the superhydrophobic surface. To coat article the water based coating is mixed with a liquid capable of wetting the superhydrophobic surface but is still dissolvable or at least miscible in the coating. As an example, a glucose or sucrose solution in water is mixed with alcohol and used to coat the surface. After water and alcohol evaporation, a durable protective coat of sugar remains. After the coated article is inserted into the body, the coating is rapidly dissolved and absorbed by the body. |