Chemically Resistant, Electric Conductive, and Superhydrophobic Coatings

In this study, the fabrication of superhydrophobic and conductive coatings applying a facile coating method is reported. The droplet-assisted growth and shaping (DAGS) method is used to synthesize silicone nanofilament-based superhydrophobic coatings. Dip coating of superhydrophobic substrates in carbon nanofiber suspensions is performed to prepare superhydrophobic/conductive coatings. The prepared coatings combine electric conductivity, optical transparency, and superhydrophobicity with low sliding angles. The coatings show stability to water immersion and exposure to extreme humid conditions. Also, they exhibit good chemical resistance after several days of immersion in acidic and basic aqueous solutions. A key factor of such coatings is the mechanical durability which is improved by the addition of Parafilm-M.