Publication – Journal Article

The publication “Advancing SafeWax, A Bio-Inspired Superhydrophobic Coating, Toward Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Crop Protection,” published in Advanced Functional Materials (2026), presents the reformulation and environmental durability assessment of SafeWax, a biodegradable and bio-inspired superhydrophobic coating based on fatty acids. By analyzing agriculturally compliant solvents, the researchers identified ethyl acetate (EtOAc) as the optimal solvent for continuous spray deposition, achieving exceptional superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of ∼165°. The optimized coating maintains strong structural and functional stability under environmental stressors like UV-C radiation and temperature fluctuations. Furthermore, it suppresses water condensation on leaf surfaces, which helps prevent potential fungal infections and provides passive thermal regulation by reflecting near-infrared (NIR) light, effectively lowering leaf temperatures under direct sunlight to mitigate climate-driven stress