A substrate-independent route to achieve the lotus effect on a variety of substrates is proposed based on mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA), and was tested on titanium alloy, polypropylene and silicon substrates. The substrates were firstly coated with PDA and then sequentially transferred to aqueous CuC2 and AgNO3 solutions for copper and silver deposition. Finally, the samples were passivated by the lowsurface-energy molecules of 1-dodecanethiol, and surface superhydrophobicity (contact angle > 160 degrees; sliding angle between 1 and 2) could be obtained. Due to the strong adhesion of PDA to a wide range of materials, it is expected that this deposition process can be applied to a variety of other substrates including metal, polymer, and inorganic-nonmetallic materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.