Large-Scale Fabrication of Robust Superhydrophobic Coatings with High Rigidity and Good Flexibility

The practical applications of superhydrophobic self-cleaning surfaces have been hampered by poor mechanical durability. Here, a composite coating that possesses excellent superhydrophobicity and robust mechanical durability is fabricated, consisting of a methyl silicone resin and a superhydrophobic silica sol. The coating can be sprayed, dipped, rolled, or flowed onto various substrates, such as glass, metal, paper, and cloth, for large-scale applications. The coating exhibits remarkable superhydrophobicity even after undergoing a finger-wipe test, a knife-scratch test, or 50 abrasion cycles with sandpaper. Moreover, the coating on hard substrates exhibits high rigidity (pencil hardness of 9H), good flexibility (impact resistance of 1 m.kg) and great adhesion (5B).