Rational design of robust and transparent superrepellent surfaces for long-term marine antifouling

• Published in: Science China. Technological sciences Vol. 67; no. 7; pp. 2031 - 2039
• Main Authors: Chen, Hui, Wang, Zhi, Wang, DaHeng, Xiao, Feng, Fu, Guang-En, Bu, XueLing, Zhao, Lei, Zhang, Tao, Wu, DaHeng, Pu, JiBin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Science China Press 2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antifouling coatings; Biofouling; Engineering; Hydrophobicity; Marine chemistry; Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane; Robustness; Silicon; Surface roughness; Thermal stability; Visible spectrum; superhydrophobic surface; nanoparticles; transparent; marine antifouling
• ISSN: 1674-7321; 1869-1900
• DOI: 10.1007/s11431-023-2700-8

Superhydrophobic surfaces have demonstrated exceptional efficacy in combatting biofouling contaminations of optical devices and equipment in marine applications. However, the fabrication of highly transparent superhydrophobic materials remains a formidable challenge due to the inherent trade-off between surface roughness for superhydrophobicity and optical transparency. Herein, we design a robust and transparent superhydrophobic coating (Si-POSS) embedded silica nanoparticles (200 nm) with fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (F-POSS) and zinc pyrithione (ZPT). The Si-POSS coating exhibits excellent water repellence toward diverse liquids and optical transmittance exceeding 90% in the visible spectrum. Moreover, the Si-POSS coating sustains long-term anti-bacterial (> 99.11%) and anti-algal effects for over 30 days, accompanied by mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability. This research asserts that the Si-POSS coating with outstanding combined characteristics holds significant potential for marine applications, particularly in self-cleaning and antifouling endeavors.