Silicone-Infused Antismudge Nanocoatings

A polyurethane-based NP-GLIDE coating that bears on its surface and in its interior nano-pools of a grafted liquid ingredient for dewetting enablement is obtained from casting and curing a film comprising a triisocyanate, a polyol (P1), and a graft (g) copolymer of P1 and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (P1-g-PDMS). A silicone-infused NP-GLIDE (SINP-GLIDE) PU coating is obtained from cocasting the NP-GLIDE precursors with a free silicone oil (SO) or SO mixture (SOs). This paper reports the preparation of the novel SINP-GLIDE coatings and discusses the effect of changing the amount and type of the infused SO as well as the coating formation conditions on their optical clarity. Also reported are the contact and sliding angles of various test liquids on the NP-GLIDE and SINP-GLIDE coatings, and the data variation trends are rationalized using existing theories. Further, the stable water sliding performance of the SINP-GLIDE coatings under simulated raining and other conditions is demonstrated. The improved and stable water sliding performance of the SINP-GLIDE coatings facilitates their practical applications.