Conformal fabrication of thick superhydrophobic coatings via reduction of sorption barrier against multiple damages

Bioinspired superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces have attracted great interest due to their wide applications. However, it is still a big challenge to construct durable SH coatings against both intrafacial abrasion and interfacial shearing. Here we report a conformal thick SH coating composed of 3D interconnected polymeric skeleton and perfluorinated nanoparticle (NPs). Due to the reduction of sorption barrier, a conformal fabrication of thick SH coating (& GE;100 mu m) is accomplished. The durability against bidirectional linear abrasion (10 kPa) appears linear growth with the thickness, while the coating (thickness of 100 mu m) remains superhydrophobicity after 1200 cycles due to the 3D interconnected self-similar network. Furthermore, the severe interfacial cut can be completely healed due to the re-formation of 3D network via hot-pressing. The healed coating shows good durability against abrasion, water injecting and freeze-thaw. This scalable yet effective strategy not only provides a novel approach for conformal fabrication of coatings via spraying but also highlights the potential applications of superhydrophobic coatings on large-scale basic facilities.

Automated summary

This study presents a durable superhydrophobic coating composed of 3D interconnected polymeric skeleton and perfluorinated nanoparticles. The coating shows resistance against abrasion and shearing and can maintain its superhydrophobicity even after 1200 cycles. Additionally, the coating can be completely healed through hot-pressing.