Single step method to fabricate durable superliquiphobic coating on aluminum surface with self-cleaning and...

The development of self-cleaning and anti-fogging durable superliquiphobic coatings for aluminum surfaces has raised tremendous interest in materials science. In this study, a superliquiphobic coating is fabricated on an aluminum surface by a single-step dip-coating method using 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane-modified SiO₂ nanoparticles. The successful implementation of the aforesaid coating in different applications requires extensive investigations of its characteristics and stability. To understand the properties of the coating, surface morphology, contact angle, self-cleaning, anti-fogging, and water repellency were investigated under perturbation conditions. Additionally, the dynamics of water and oil on the coated sample also were studied. Furthermore, the durability of the coating also was examined by performing thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability tests. It was found that the coating is superliquiphobic for water, ethylene glycol, glycerol and hexadecane, and shows thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability. Further, it exhibits self-cleaning and anti-fogging properties. This approach can be applied to any size and shape aluminum surface; thus, it has great industrial applications.