Omniphobic surface with extreme durability
During the study, silica sol acting as prime coating was deposited on a glass surface, and then brush-like organosilicon polymer containing trimethoxy silane group was decorated on the prime layer. After thermal treatment, the surface showed omniphobic characteristic, and most liquid droplets except silicone oil, could freely slide with little sliding angle.
Extreme stability
More that, the omniphobic coating has extreme stability and its wettability hardly changed under various harsh conditions including ultraviolet radiation, hot solvent soaking, ultrasonic treatment, and even 30,000 friction cycles under 100 K Pa pressure against textiles.
Furthermore, the coating has – according to the developers – extensive applications and free from limitation of various materials, volume, size and shape. The inner wall of container, fabric, paper, wood, sands and polymer films can be covered with the omniphobic coating. Therefore, the robust omniphobic coatings have a potential for widespread applications, for example self-cleaning window glass.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 153, May 2021.