Superhydrophobic Al2O3–Polymer Composite Coating for Self-Cleaning Applications

Superhydrophobic coatings have a huge impact in various applications due to their extreme water-repellent properties. The main novelty of the current research work lies in the development of cheap, stable, superhydrophobic and self-cleaning coatings with extreme water-repellency. In this work, a composite of hydrothermally synthesized alumina (Al2O3), polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and polystyrene (PS) was deposited on a glass surface by a dip-coating technique. The Al2O3 nanoparticles form a rough structure, and low-surface-energy PHMS enhances the water-repellent properties. The composite coating revealed a water contact angle (WCA) of 171 ± 2° and a sliding angle (SA) of 3°. In the chemical analysis, Al2p, Si2p, O1s, and C1s elements were detected in the XPS survey. The prepared coating showed a self-cleaning property through the rolling action of water drops. Such a type of coating could have various industrial applications in the future.