Super-omniphobic surface prepared from a multicomponent coating of fluoro-containing polymer and silica nanoparticles

Abstract

A multicomponent superomniphobic coating that can be applied to a broad range of substrates via simple spraying of a hybrid material system consisting of fluorinated poly[dimethylsiloxane-co-(3-aminopropyl) methylsiloxane (PDMS-F), fluorinated silica nanoparticles (FSiO2-NPs), and perfluoroalkyl polymer (F-Polymer). The PDMS-F was prepared by reacting the aminopropyl-containing copolymer of PDMS linear tridecafluoroheptanoic acid and branched heptafluoroisobutyrate respectively to yield the fluorinated polymer, named PDMS-NF and PDMS-BF respectively. By sequential spraying of PDMS-NF, FSiO2-NPs, and F-Polymer, the three-component omniphobic coating produces surface with lower contact angle hysteresis (CAH) (<15°) for most liquids, including water, hexadecane, glycol, ethanol, and diiodomethane, regardless of their polarity or surface tension. It can be applied on different substrates including fabrics, especially the cotton textile, which exhibits a static water contact angle (CA) of 163° and hexadecane (oil) CA of 153°.