Large-scale preparation of superhydrophobic cerium dioxide nanocomposite coating with UV resistance, mechanical robustness, and anti-corrosion properties

Abstract Superhydrophobic coatings have been developed widely, because of their self-cleaning, anti-fouling, and anti-icing properties. However, there are critical challenges in terms of poor durability in harsh environments. Herein, we report an effective and simple strategy for large-scale fabrication of durable superhydrophobic composite coating, based on polydimethylsiloxane filled with fluoroalkyl silane functionalized cerium dioxide. The obtained composite coating showed satisfactory water repellency with water contact angle of 161 ± 2° and sliding angle of 4 ± 1°, mainly attributed to the construction of multilevel micro/nano scale structure. Such coatings possessed outstanding chemical stability, self-cleaning property, and adhesion strength. Notably, the coating was UV resistant and mechanically robust, which could also retain good superhydrophobicity after 240 h of UV irradiation, 30 abrasion cycles, and scratching, and could be applied to a variety of substrate surfaces. In addition, according to electrochemical test results, the superhydrophobic composite coating showed excellent corrosion barrier and active corrosion inhibition effect, due to synergy between trapped air films and cerium dioxide. These multiple key properties integrated into our superhydrophobic composite coating are expected to provide a wide range of applications in various extreme outdoor environments.