Abstract
A facile and cost-effective layer-by-layer assembly method is reported for the fabrication of a superhydrophobic coating using room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber and silica particles of different diameters. The superhydrophobic coating shows a contact angle of 154.6° and a rolling angle of 9°. The coating exhibits excellent self-cleaning properties and corrosion resistance with good softness and mechanical durability. The sample maintains its good superhydrophobicity, even after a series of tests by knife scratching, cutting, and hammering. The fabrication method has great advantages in terms of efficiency, cost, simple procedure and conditions. Its wide application in different substrates and the use of environment-friendly materials are also beneficial to the large-scale production of the coating.
Highlights
Inspired by the lotus leaf effect and rose effect, scientists discovered superhydrophobic surfaces
The contact angle (CA) of the glass slide covered with coating C is 154.6◦ ± 3◦ and the sliding angle (SA) is 9◦, which indicates the superhydrophobicity of the coating (Figure 1d,e)
The copper foil and glass slide covered with a superhydrophobic coating were placed in water, and a silver mirror appeared on the coating surface, proving that air was trapped in the microstructure of the coating surface (Figure 1g,h)
Summary
Inspired by the lotus leaf effect and rose effect, scientists discovered superhydrophobic surfaces. The good adaptability of RTV silicone rubber to different substrate surfaces expands the application range of the coating. A flexible superhydrophobic coating was prepared by using room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber as the main material and silica particles with different diameters by a layer-by-layer assembly method. The prepared sample can remove contaminants on the surface through water droplets, but can resist bending, friction, hammering and knife cutting This method can be applied to different substrates and does not require complex equipment, a strict production environment or expensive materials. The preparation process is environmentally friendly as it does not involve heating, fluorine-containing materials or acidic/alkaline solutions This facile and low-cost method has great potential to be mass-produced and applied in various fields
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