ap9b00596_si_001.pdf (718.12 kB)
Simple Design for Durable and Clear Self-Cleaning Coatings
journal contribution
posted on 2019-09-16, 15:03 authored by Fahad Khan, Muhammad Rabnawaz, Zhao Li, Ajmir Khan, Muhammad Naveed, Mohammad Oliuddin Tuhin, Fazal RahimbDespite immense potential
applications envisioned for self-cleaning
surfaces, the existing approaches used for fabricating these surfaces
suffer limitations arising from their high cost and complicated fabrication
procedures, as well as the lack of mechanical durability and poor
optical clarity. Herein we report a simple fabrication design toward
omniphobic surfaces involving the application of an epoxy thermoset
onto a substrate and the subsequent addition of a self-cleaning component.
This approach is environmentally benign, as it utilizes a nonfluorinated
self-cleaning component, namely polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This
method is highly versatile, as was demonstrated by its successful
use in an epoxy and its composites with a nanoclay, cellulose nanocrystal,
and graphene oxide. The self-cleaning-, optical-, and mechanical properties
of these coatings are systematically evaluated herein. In addition,
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization is performed to
gain valuable insight regarding the morphology of PDMS in these epoxy
coatings.