Durable and transparent super anti-wetting coatings with excellent liquid repellency and anti-fouling performance based on fluorinated polysiloxane

Abstract

Super anti-fouling coatings are of great interest because of their good liquid repellency and anti-fouling performance. However, it is challenging to prepare durable and transparent super anti-fouling coatings, especially via simple approaches. Here, we report on the preparation of durable and transparent super anti-wetting coatings with excellent liquid repellency and anti-fouling performance by hydrolytic condensation of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrimethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane followed by dip coating and heat treatment. The fluorinated polysiloxane (fluoroPOS) super anti-wetting coatings were characterized by various analytical techniques. The wettability, anti-fouling performance, stability and applicability of the coatings were systematically studied. These super anti-wetting coatings are very smooth with a high optical transmittance of 103% at 400 nm compared with the bare glass slide, showing anti-reflective performance. The fluoroPOS coatings feature (i) excellent repellency towards various liquids such as water, alkanes, daily encountered liquids and even hot liquids; (ii) excellent anti-fouling performance against marker pens, paints etc.; (iii) good mechanical, chemical and thermal stabilities; (iv) good applicability onto various substrates. Therefore, fluoroPOS super anti-wetting coatings may find applications in many fields (e.g., industrial facilities, architectures, and transportation), as the method is simple and the comprehensive properties are excellent.