Substrate-Independent Superhydrophobic Coating Capable of Photothermal-Induced Repairability for Multiple Damages Fabricated via Simple Blade Coating.

Repairable superhydrophobic surfaces have promising application potential in many fields. However, so far, it is still a challenge to develop a superhydrophobic surface with repairability for multiple types of damage through a simple method. In this paper, a repairable superhydrophobic coating was obtained on various substrates by blade-coating mixtures of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified with dopamine (PDA) and octadecylamine (ODA). The obtained coating has a good liquid-repellent property with a water contact angle above 150° and a water sliding angle of ∼6° and possesses an excellent absorbance (∼97%) in the wavelength range of 250-2500 nm. Due to its high absorbance, the coating displays an outstanding photothermal effect with a temperature rise of ∼65 °C under irradiation by 1.0 kW/m of simulated sunlight. Furthermore, after being degraded by multiple stimuli, including plasma treatment, acid/alkali/oil immersion, sand impact, and the icing-thawing cycle, the coating can recover superhydrophobicity via sunlight irradiation, demonstrating the good photothermal-induced repairability of the coating. It can be expected that the good water-repellent property, photothermal effect, and repairability give this coating a promising prospect in practical applications.