Transparent superhydrophobic polystyrene/ZnO nanocoating, possessing an average roughness of 28 nm and high contact angle (>150 degrees) has been synthesized through a modified facile sol-gel route. The anticipated hierarchical roughness of the coating was obtained using dual functionalized ZnO nano particles. Chlorotrimethylsilane and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxy silane were espoused as nanoparticle surface functionalizing agents to generate superhydrophobic coating. The effect of experimental parameters on transparency and superhydrophobicity of developed coatings was examined to obtain optimum conditions. Such developed coatings can prove to have substantial industrial applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.