Hydrophobic, hydrophilic

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This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.


hydrophobic[1] materials are 'water-fearing',

e.g. a waterproof jacket (due to specific treatment)

ultrahydrophobic is just a more extreme cases of hydrophoby,

and usually refers to cases where the effect is strong enough for to bead up visibly, and roll off more quickly.


hydrophilic[2] materials are 'water-loving'

tend to be wetted by water on contact.
e.g. paper towels


hygroscopic[3] refers to materials that can absorb/adsorb water and take it inside

usually meaning it can pull water from the air, (so relates to to humidity, not contact with water)
from another angle, hygroscopic materials could be said to be attracted to water, but not dissolved by water.