Development of high performance superhydrophobic coating with excellent corrosion resistance, durability, and self-cleaning properties using M-TiO2@EP composites

A new method was applied to modify TiO2 nanoparticles. Epoxy resin (EP) and M-TiO2 nanoparticles were used to prepare a novel superhydrophobic composite coating (M-TiO2@EP) by a one-step spraying method. The M-TiO2@EP coating surface has rough surface with hierarchical micro-/nanostructures. The M-TiO2@EP coating showed excellent superhydrophobicity capability with a high water contact angle (156°) and low sliding angle (6°). The M-TiO2@EP coating exhibited outstanding mechanical durability owing to multilayer structure of M-TiO2 and the adhesion enhancement of EP, and the coating still retained superhydrophobicity after long-distance (10 m) mechanical wear under the weight of 200 g. Meanwhile, the M-TiO2@EP coating can capture stable air film to prevent the permeation of H+, Cl−, and OH− from water and simultaneously absorb more UV irradiation. Additionally, the M-TiO2@EP coating superhydrophobicity was also proven for various droplets and excellent self-cleaning performance. Meanwhile, the M-TiO2@EP coating also showed outstanding resistance to both extreme temperatures, UV resistance, corrosion resistance, and anti-icing ability. Therefore, the novel M-TiO2@EP coating with these excellent properties could yield a prospective candidate for promising outdoor and harsh condition applications.