Ecofriendly fabrication of superhydrophobic coating with high chemical/mechanical durability and enhanced heat resistance by 1D/2D hybridization strategy

Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials have attracted extensive attention and possess widespread application prospects in different domains owing to their exceptional waterproofness. There is an urgent need to develop new high-performance superhydrophobic coatings in a low-cost way to meet the various requirements. Herein, utilizing spray coating and thermal treatment procedures, we prepared a high-performance superhydrophobic coating composed of mullite fiber, reduced graphene oxide, and methyl silicone via a one-dimensional (1D)/two-dimensional (2D) hybridization strategy. The surface morphology, chemical durability, mechanical durability, and heat resistance of the coating were investigated. Meanwhile, the wettability and self-cleaning ability of the coating were assessed through a sandpaper abrasion test. The results indicate the as-fabricated coating displays excellent water repellency. Moreover, aside from its excellent self-cleaning ability, the obtained coating has superhydrophobicity despite being immersed in NaCl, HCl, and NaOH aqueous solutions for 200 days. The coating also shows favorable heat resistance, so it can sustain superhydrophobicity up to 350 °C for 10 h. Furthermore, the coating exhibits superior mechanical durability under sandpaper abrasion for 12 m. All these results reveal that the eco-friendly, cost-effective, and durable superhydrophobic coating has great application potential in practical conditions.