Formation of SiO2/polytetrafluoroethylene hybrid superhydrophobic coating

Superhydrophobic coating has been fabricated on the glass substrates with modified SiO2 sol and polytetrafluoroethylene emulsion through a sol-gel process. SiO2 sol was modified with gamma-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane. The coatings were characterized by water contact angle measurement, Scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal synthetic analysis. The experimental results show that coatings exhibited superhydrophobic and heat-resistant property with a water average contact angle of 156 degrees and sliding angle of 6 degrees, coating has a rough surface with both micro- and nanoscale structures, gamma-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane enhanced the hydrophobicity of the coatings. Low surface energy of polymer and special structure of the coatings were responsible for the hydrophobic of the surfaces. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.