In situ assembly of halloysite nanotubes@cerium oxide nanohybrid for highly UV-shielding and superhydrophobic coating

CeO2 nanoparticles were successfully anchored on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by in situ assembly approach to fabricate a novel nanohybrid (HNTs@CeO2). The structure and composition of HNTs@CeO2 were systematically investigated by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and TGA. It suggested that the severe aggregation of CeO2 nanoparticles got efficiently suppressed with the aid of HNTs nanocarrier. And the unique hybrid architecture of HNTs@CeO2 endows the silicone coating with excellent UV-blocking effect. Specially, the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/HNTs@CeO2 coating with a mass ratio of 15:1 (HNTs@CeO2 : PDMS) could shield 93% ultraviolet B (UVB) and 84% ultraviolet A (UVA). Furthermore, the PDMS/HNTs@CeO2 coating also exhibited synergic feature of outstanding superhydrophobicity and excellent self-cleaning function. In summary, this work has proposed a practical method to resolve the severe aggregation of CeO2 nanoparticles and fabricated a highly UV-shielding and superhydrophobic silicone coating, which may offer a valuable inspiration for the fabrications of nanohybrid and multi-functional coating. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.