Facile fabrication of a lotus-effect composite coating via wrapping silica with polyurethane

A lotus-effect coating was fabricated by wrapping micro-silica and nano-silica with polyurethane (PU) and subsequent spraying. The coating shows the similar self-cleaning property as lotus leaves: the contact angle is as large as 168° and the sliding angle is as low as 0.5°. Surface morphology of the coating was studied with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The composite coating shows the similar structure as lotus leaves.