I desperately want to know what you were imagining might happen when you asked this question.

Basically, the water would be held inside the bucket in the shape of the bucket without getting the bucket wet, because the hydrophobic coating would prevent the water from touching the bucket, however the water would still touch the hydrophobic coating, it just will not stick to the hydrophobic coating.

Well the bucket would get very scared.

You ever use a paper cup? That's basically what they are.

A black hole would open up, don't do it

The coating just keeps water from 'sticking' to it or from soaking in to cloth etc. it doesn't do anything special aside from that, you'd just have a normal bucket of water in this case

Eh nothing interesting. The water would be in the bucket but pool and bead much quicker, instead of spreading and getting the bucket 'wet'. Kind of like a hydrophobic windshield coating.

The water sits in it, but only where gravity holds it. There would be a very pronounced meniscus at the top. That is, if you looked closely the water would dip down really far at the edges before it meets the bucket.

It's not that hydrophobic substances can't touch water, it's that the force of surface tension will oppose it. Unless you're an ant, surface tension isn't that impressive vs. most other forces.

Edit: If you have an ant-sized bucket, the water may sit on top of it as a droplet rather than going in.

Do... you think a coating repels water a foot away like some sort of anti-water magnet...?

Like, on the inside of the bucket? It'll still hold water like normal.

Don't listen to the jeering goons, OP. Keep asking questions. 🤜🤛

Pretty sure you’d get one big bead of water. Something much more interesting are superfluids.

You'd have a bucket of water I'm pretty sure

What would happen if you lather yourself in soap so you're really slippery and then you sit in a bath?

Actually you'd probably hurt yourself getting into the bath so maybe don't try this.

The water disappears

Basically the same thing as when you fill a non-stick pan with water. Hydrophobic coatings only repel water in a way so that it doesn't stick to the surface. That's why they use hydrophobic coatings on windshields, so the droplets of water slide easily and quickly.

Granted, the effect is more noticeable with hydrophobic coating than with non-stick coating, but if you were expecting the water to visibly float away from the walls, that won't happen with either. Reality is sometimes disappointing, huh?

I'm not sure about the bucket but here's what happens if you jump in a pool covered in hydrophobic stuff.

It'll stay empty of course. If make a big enough bucket to stand in and you could go deep sea diving without an airtank.

makes me want to spray some in a urinal

What would happen if you sprayed your body with hydrophobic spray and then went down a slip-n-slide?

Made me think of the LiquiGlide ketchup video from a few years ago.

Did this stuff ever get used anywhere or just vaporware?

I'm sorry that's simply not allowed

try covering yourself with oil and waiting for rain