Fabrication of durable superhydrophobic coatings with hierarchical structure on inorganic radome materials

In order to provide an effective damp-proof protection of inorganic radome materials, we have developed a new method to fabricate superhydrophobic coatings, which uses Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and SiO2 micron particles to seal porous surfaces of inorganic radome materials and hydrophobized silica colloid to form superhydrophobic surface. The coatings were characterized by moisture absorption rate analysis, dielectric constant and loss tangent measurements, static contact angle and sliding angle measurements, SEM, AFM, TG, FTIR and wear tests. All of the characterizations revealed the coatings had a micro–nano hierarchical structure with a static contact angle of 157.5° and sliding angle of 9°, and possessed high thermal stability and excellent mechanical durability. These coatings have potential uses in engineering applications of inorganic porous materials requiring damp-proof protection and high durability.