Transparent and robust SiO2/PDMS composite coatings with self-cleaning

In recent years, people have paid increasing attention to improving the durability of highly transparent superhydrophobic surfaces. In this work, we first synthesized a superhydrophobic silica powder by using a one-step sol–gel method and then compounded it with Polydimethylsiloxane. After spin-coating on the glass surface, a transparent superhydrophobic glass with a high water contact angle (158°) was acquired. In the visible region (400–800 nm), the transmittance of the coated glass substrate was higher than 80%. Moreover, the obtained coating can maintain stable superhydrophobicity after undergoing treatment from −15 to 450°C and under extreme environmental conditions, such as strong acidity and alkalinity. In addition, the coating can maintain excellent superhydrophobicity even after exposure to a large amount of water flow impact.