jp7b11144_si_001.pdf (1.56 MB)
Strong Hydrophobic Coating by Conducting a New Hierarchical Architecture
journal contribution
posted on 2018-02-02, 00:00 authored by Yong Seok Kim, Mingwei Shang, Shuai Kang, Jacob John Karsseboom, Junjie NiuWhile the hydrophobicity
for a self-cleaning surface is feasibly
obtained via rational designs of nanostructured materials,1‑2 the longevity of coatings due to the rapid function loss and weak
interface bonding and the scalability due to the limited size are
not on a solid footing.3 In this article, we report the
synthesis of flexible self-cleaning coating with improved mechanical
and chemical stability on the basis of a new hierarchical architecture,
which comprises functionalized epoxy (EP) resins and industrially
available activated carbons. In parallel, a self-cleaning coating
with high transparency can be obtained by replacing with oxide particles,
which further expands the application fields. The strong bonding force
from alkene CH3–C–CH3 and phenyl
groups in bisphenol A diglycidyl ether contributes to high rigidity,
high toughness, and high-temperature tolerance while the ether linkages
lead to high chemical resistance.4 A greatly enhanced adhesion
to substrates originates from the preferable interface ring-opening
reaction of highly reactive ethylene oxide C2H4O on EP and amine groups on curing agents. Superhydrophobicity is
ascribed to the interaction among hydrophobic groups on “grafted”
heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate and functionalized particles. The impressive
hydrophobic and mechanical properties open an avenue for a reliable
self-cleaning coating in commercial products.