Sodium alginate/epoxy resin was separated by emulsion phase to fabricate a strong superhydrophobic coating

Abstract

It has been recognized that good mechanical robustness and chemical stability are the keys to superhydrophobic coatings. Here, we used epoxy resin/sodium alginate emulsion phase separation method to prepare the coating body, and polydimethylsiloxane/vapor phase silicon dioxide as the superhydrophobic material to prepare a superhydrophobic silicon dioxide coating. Sodium alginate is enriched on the coating surface by phase separation process, which greatly improves the interaction force between the superhydrophobic material and the coating body. The water contact angle of the EP/SA/SiO2 superhydrophobic coating is 157.6° and the sliding angle is 2.3° The EP/SA/SiO2 superhydrophobic coating has good mechanical robustness, chemical stability and self-cleaning performance. Thanks to the micro-nano structure of the surface Cassie-Baxter model, air can be trapped on the solid-liquid contact surface of the coating. The impedance value of the EP/SA/SiO2 coating is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the epoxy coating, which has excellent anti-corrosion properties. It is believed that this study can provide a new idea for preparing strong superhydrophobic coatings.