Durable superhydrophobic LTA-zeolite coating on PDMS surface with excellent self-cleaning property

Superhydrophobicity is a fundamental characteristic that plays a vital role in various applications, such as self-cleaning coatings, water vapor barriers for flexible electronics, and microfluidic chip fabrication. In this study, we developed a superhydrophobic surface coating on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using Linde Type A (LTA) zeolite crystals, employing a silane coupling strategy. As part of this study, the LTA-zeolite-coated PDMS surface is characterized using various techniques to elucidate its superhydrophobic behavior, and a functionalization mechanism is proposed. The resulting substrate exhibited high surface roughness, with a water contact angle exceeding 155°, a sliding angle below 1°, and a contact angle hysteresis under 10°. This superhydrophobic surface coating effectively repelled water, confirming its excellent self-cleaning properties. Furthermore, the coating withstood three cycles of the Kapton adhesive tape peeling test, 5 h of water-jet hitting, and 72 h of UV light exposure, demonstrating its robustness and strong adhesion to PDMS.