Transparent superhydrophobic EVA/SiO2/PTFE/KH-570 coating with good mechanical robustness, chemical stability, self-cleaning effect and anti-icing property fabricated by facile dipping method

Abstract

Superhydrophobic coatings have aroused increasing interest in many fields. However, the low light transmittance, poor mechanical robustness, and unsatisfactory chemical stability greatly limit the practical application of superhydrophobic coatings. Herein, a robust transparent superhydrophobic coating was prepared through a facile two-step dipping treatment. The coated glass displays good transparency with transmittance about 87 % in the wavelength range of 500–900 nm, remarkable superhydrophobic performance with a water contact angle of 158.8° and a sliding angle less than 1.0°. After a series of durability tests, including grit impact, etching in acidic and alkaline environments, and long-term outdoor exposure, the obtained coating can still maintain good superhydrophobic and transparency, which confirms the obtained coating has good mechanical robustness and chemical stability. Moreover, the coating exhibits good anti-icing property with a longer icing time and can maintain superhydrophobicity after 80 icing/de-icing cycles. It can be believed that such transparent superhydrophobic coating can be applied in many fields, owing to its low-cost and environmentally friendly fabrication method and its good performances in mechanical robustness and chemical stability.