Durable and Hydrophobic Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Coatings via Fluoride Rearrangement of Phenyl T12 Silsesquioxane and Siloxanes.

There have been many successful efforts to enhance the water shedding properties of hydrophobic and superhydrophobic coatings, but durability is often a secondary concern. Here, we describe durable and hydrophobic coatings prepared via fluoride catalyzed rearrangement reaction of dodecaphenylsilsesquioxane [PhSiO1.5]12 (DDPS) with octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4). Hydrophobic properties and wear resistance are maximized by incorporating both low surface energy moieties and cross-linkable moieties into the siloxane network. Water contact angles as high as 150 ± 4° were achieved even after 150 wear cycles with SiC sandpaper (2000 grit, 2 kPa). These hybrid organic-inorganic copolymers also have high thermal stabilities after curing at 250 °C (Td5% ≥ 340 °C in air) due to the siloxane network with a maximum Td5% of >460 °C measured for the system with the highest silsesquioxane content. The coating systems presented here offer a unique combination of hydrophobicity and mechanical/thermal stability and could greatly expand the utility of water repellent coatings.