Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite Coatings of Hydrophobic Silica NPs and Poly(methyl methacrylate) with Notable Self‐Cleaning Ability

Abstract

The present paper describes a facile and inexpensive dip coating method for preparation of hierarchical superhydrophobic nanocomposite coating. The hydrophobic silica nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized via sol–gel technique. The superhydrophobicity of the coating is controlled by adjusting the concentration of silica NPs in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). After optimization, the coating exhibited water contact angle of 165° and sliding angle of 4°. The surface morphology of the superhydrophobic coatings revealed hierarchical rough structure formed on the glass substrate, which enable air trapping. The prepared superhydrophobic coating showed wetting stability under water jet impact with notable self‐cleaning performance. The mechanical stability of the superhydrophobic coating is studied using sandpaper abrasion and adhesive tape peeling test. Such highly non‐wettable and self‐cleaning coatings have potential in various practical applications.

Hydrophobic Thin Films from Sol–Gel Processing: A Critical Review

“…The addition of a polymer, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), allows the obtaining of a nanocomposite film, with a porous and high roughness, by incorporating silica nanoparticles within the PMMA polymer matrix. This leads to an increase in the abrasion resistance of the film and the achievement of a contact angle of 165 • [69]. By combining two sols, for example one of acid-catalysed TEOS and one of base-catalysed TEOS/MTES, deposited on a silicon wafer substrate by dip-coating, it is possible to obtain hydrophobic bilayer films (contact angle 115 • ) with methyl-modified silica nanoparticles [70].…”

Selective Fabrication of Robust and Multifunctional Super Nonwetting Surfaces by Diverse Modifications of Zirconia–Ceria Nanocomposites

“…Further, the adhesion strength of the coatings was investigated by performing an adhesive tape peeling test. , Thus, as depicted in Figure c, an adhesive tape was attached to the coated surface of plates and pressed mildly. The tape was then gently peeled off to study the adhesiveness of coatings by measuring the crude oil contact angle on the remained coating of plates.…”

Investigation of the Effects of Component Ratios on the Properties of Superhydrophobic Polyurethane/Fluorinated Acrylic Co-Polymer/SiO2 Nanocomposite Coatings

“…It has been reported that polymers with low surface energy, such as polyacrylate (PA) [17,18], polystyrene (PS) [19,20], polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) [21,22], poly(dimethylsiloxanes) (PDMS) [23,24], epoxy [25,26], poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) [27,28], polyurethane (PU) [29][30][31], and have been used to fabricate superhydrophobic coatings. However, the water contact angle of these polymers is generally less than 120 • on a homogeneous flat surfaces.…”