Superhydrophobic coatings based on colloid silica and fluorocopolymer

•Superhydrophobic coating fabricated via colloid silica and fluoropolymer.•Superhydrophobic coating developed by simple process: mixing silica with fluorocopolymer followed by spray.•The effects of particle functionalities, volume fraction and dimension on coating properties systematically investigated.•Superhydrophobicity (water contact angle ~ 155° and rolling angle ~ 1°) and desired integrity achieved.

Superhydrophobic coating system was developed with colloidal silica and crosslinkable fluorocopolymer as filler and matrix respectively, to yield low surface energy and chemical stability, high hardness, and strong adhesion with substrates. The effects of particle surface functionalities, volume fraction and dimension on hydrophobicity and integrity of coatings were systematically investigated. The coating performance was closely dependent on these three factors. Superhydrophobicity (water contact angle ∼155° and rolling angle ∼ 1°) and desired integrity was observed in the coatings with fluorinated particles (with dimension of either 340 or 1450 nm) at optimal particle volume fraction of 60%.

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