Light-induced crystallization-driven formation of hierarchically ordered superhydrophobic sol-gel coatings

Lingli Ni (1) , Cheng Zhu (1) , Shizhong Zhang (1) , Peng Cai (1) , Aissam Airoudj (2) , Laurent Vonna (2) , Samar Hajjar-Garreau (2) , Abraham Chemtob (2)

1 Huaiyin Institute of Technology
2 IS2M - Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse

Nano/micro structures are crucial for superhydrophobic surfaces, but rare are methods able to generate such dual structuring in a single step using a single precursor. We show that the visible light-controlled self-assembly of bis-silylated alkane precursors can create in one-step organosilica coatings exhibiting two levels of hierarchy: lamellae at nanoscale, and plate-like crystals at microscale. Crystallization rate can be precisely controlled by alkylene bridging group and irradiance. This allowed us toachieve superhydrophobic properties by the creation of a dense and uniform network of nanostructured microcrystals with high surface roughness. The obtained coatings displayed chemical stability, good thermal resistance and high mechanical strength through the cross-linked siloxane structure, which is essential for 30applications.

Mots clés: superhydrophobic; crystallization; silsesquioxane; photo sol-gel

Domaines: Polymères

Lingli Ni, Cheng Zhu, Shizhong Zhang, Peng Cai, Aissam Airoudj, et al.. Light-induced crystallization-driven formation of hierarchically ordered superhydrophobic sol-gel coatings. Progress in Organic Coatings, 2019, 135, pp.255-262. ⟨10.1016/j.porgcoat.2019.05.045⟩. ⟨hal-02434783⟩