Waterborne superhydrophobic coatings have attracted tremendous attention recently, but their practical applications are severely limited by hydrophobic instability and poor mechanical durability. Herein, a novel robust waterborne PTFE-CP&MgO-AOP superhydrophobic coating was successfully fabricated by reinforcing composite interfaces. Combined with the self-polymerization of dopamine and the in situ grown MgO, CNTs-polydopamine&MgO (CP&MgO) particles with improved interfacial compatibility were obtained. Through the cross-linking and hydrogen bonding interactions, phosphate networks (CP&MgO-AOP) with the aluminum orthophosphate (AOP) binder were formed during dehydration polymerization. The phosphate networks not only enhanced the interfacial interaction among CP&MgO to form coral-like structures but also strengthened the interfacial binding force between the waterborne polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating and the substrate. With the enhanced composite interfacial strength, the waterborne PTFE-CP&MgO-AOP coating exhibited excellent wear-resistance, which can withstand more than 1.27 × 105 abrasion cycles. Moreover, the chemical bonding between the functional groups of phosphate networks and metal substrate improved the adhesion strength from grade 5 to 1. Furthermore, the prepared coating surface with the reticular/coral-like composite structures can lock the stable gas layer to maintain excellent hydrophobic stability, even under the conditions of strong acidic/alkaline, high-temperature, xenon lamp irradiation, and mechanical wear. Thus, this study is expected to open new insights into interfacial enhancement of robust waterborne superhydrophobic coatings.
Keywords: composite interfaces; environment-friendly; robust; superhydrophobicity; waterborne.