Self-assembly promoted stratified multifunctional hybrid coating with self-healing ability for superior adhesion strength and hardness

Abstract

Multifunctional coatings provide outstanding performance by simultaneously improving surface and adhesion qualities, making them suitable for speciality coatings in a variety of industrial applications. However, achieving a single-coat solution with high adhesion strength, hardness, flexibility, transparency, self-healing capability, and anti-icing properties remains a formidable challenge. Herein we report the development of an organic–inorganic hybrid coating material by the self-assembly of tannic acid within a siloxane-PVA network and its in situ acetal functionalisation to form bimodal micelles allowing the emergence of a self-stratifying system in THF/EtOH solution. The self-stratifying particles of the assembled micelles endow the coating with an excellent hardness of 1.0 GPa, an adhesion strength up to 12.63 MPa on aluminium, and a good coating stability even after heating at 150 °C, as well as dipping in liquid N₂.