Synthesis of a Novel High-Performance Siloxene Based 2D Material for Durable and Transparent Superhydrophobic Coatings with Self-Cleaning and Anti-Icing Properties

Although new two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely explored for various applications due to their exceptional performance, there are few reports on the construction of superhydrophobic 2D materials and their application in the fields of self-cleaning and anti-icing. For example, the use of siloxene as a 2D material in the preparation of transparent superhydrophobic coatings has never been reported, likely due to its green color which significantly affects transparency, as well as the challenge of reconciling superhydrophobicity with transparency. In this work, we introduce a novel approach for fabricating a transparent and robust superhydrophobic surface based on siloxene for the first time. In this approach, the integration of siloxene plays a crucial role in creating a hierarchical morphology followed by trichloromethysilane polymerization into hydrophobic nanofibers, providing porous nanostructured rough surfaces. The superhydrophobic surface coating based on PMMA/siloxene exhibits a contact angle of 156° and a sliding angle of 5°, demonstrating highly effective self-cleaning properties while maintaining good optical properties (transmission >80%). Additionally, the coating has shown improved resistance to abrasion, UV irradiation, temperature, and water jet, with excellent chemical stability. This work not only demonstrates the feasibility of transparent superhydrophobic coatings based on siloxene but also provides a coating applicable to prevent and delay ice formation in extremely cold environments.