Surfaces rendered self-cleaning by hydrophobic structures, and process for their production

A self-cleaning surface which has an artificial, at least partially hydrophobic, surface structure containing elevations and depressions, which comprises:

• a surface having structure-forming particles comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of silicates, doped silicates, minerals, metal oxides, silicas, polymers and metal powders adhered thereto by way of fixative particles formed of a compound selected from the group consisting of ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers, epoxy resins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyamides, polyether sulfones, polyisobutenes and polyvinyl butyrals applied to the surface, whereby the structure-forming particles and the fixative particles have elevations and depressions ranging in dimensions of 1 to 1000 nm and the particles themselves having an average size of less than 50 μm, the particles providing said surface structure of elevations and depressions, wherein, by incipient melting of the fixative particles, only partial melting of the fixative particles occurs which is sufficient to bond the structure forming particles to said surface while retaining the fissured structure of the structure-forming particles in the nanometer range.