Multifunctional self-healing superhydrophobic coating with rapid sunlight-induced recovery and photothermal anti-icing capability

Abstract

Superhydrophobic coatings are often constrained by poor resistance to chemical corrosion and mechanical wear, limiting their long-term reliability. Self-healing strategies have emerged as promising solutions; however, most existing systems suffer from slow healing, incomplete recovery, and limited adaptability under real-world conditions. Herein, a multifunctional self-healing superhydrophobic coating (MESH) with a rationally designed multilayer architecture was developed. The system integrates a MXene-Cu²⁺ photothermal bottom layer for efficient light-to-heat conversion, a thermoplastic polycaprolactone (PCL) interlayer to facilitate polymer mobility, and an electrospun PVDF-TrFE/PDMS@MFS top layer that provides hierarchical roughness and low surface energy. This design imparts excellent durability against extreme chemical (pH 1–13), mechanical, and thermal stresses, while enabling efficient recovery of surface properties (water contact angles >150°) after repeated damage–healing cycles. Remarkably, the MESH coating achieves sunlight-induced self-healing within 5 min for both O₂-plasma and scratch damage—an 8–12-fold improvement over recently reported systems requiring 40–60 min. In addition, it exhibits superior superhydrophobicity (WCA: 159.7°, SA: 4°) with self-cleaning behavior and strong anti-icing performance through combined passive repellency and photothermal de-icing. This study demonstrates a straightforward design strategy for transparent, durable, and self-maintaining superhydrophobic coatings with broad potential in aerospace, marine, automotive, and architectural applications.