Preparation and Antiscaling Performance of Superhydrophobic Poly(phenylene sulfide)/Polytetrafluoroethylene Composite Coating

In this paper, the superhydrophobic poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite coating was fabricated and applied to evaluate the antiscaling performance. Compared with the commercial hydrophobic epoxy–silicone resin coating, the superhydrophobic PPS/PTFE composite coating exhibited unique antiscaling performance. The deposition rate of CaCO3 scaling on the superhydrophobic PPS/PTFE coating was only 38.6% of that on the epoxy–silicone resin coating. The surface morphology, size, and crystal type of the scaling were analyzed. The results indicated that the formation and growth of CaCO3 scaling were significantly influenced by the cooperative effect of topography and low surface energy of the superhydrophobic PPS/PTFE composite coating. There were few nucleation sites at the surface of superhydrophobic coating owing to the relatively low surface energy and absorbed bubbles. Together with the space constraint of the topography, the nucleation and growth of CaCO3 scaling were inhibited on the surface of superhydrophobic PPS/PTFE coating.