Rational design of robust and transparent superrepellent surfaces for long-term marine antifouling

Superhydrophobic surfaces have demonstrated exceptional efficacy in combatting biofouling contaminations of optical devices and equipment in marine applications. However, the fabrication of highly transparent superhydrophobic materials remains a formidable challenge due to the inherent trade-off between surface roughness for superhydrophobicity and optical transparency.Herein, we design a robust and transparent superhydrophobic coating(Si-POSS) embedded silica nanoparticles(200 nm) with fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes(F-POSS) and zinc pyrithione(ZPT). The Si-POSS coating exhibits excellent water repellence toward diverse liquids and optical transmittance exceeding 90% in the visible spectrum. Moreover, the Si-POSS coating sustains long-term anti-bacterial(> 99.11%) and anti-algal effects for over 30 days, accompanied by mechanical,chemical, and thermal stability. This research asserts that the Si-POSS coating with outstanding combined characteristics holds significant potential for marine applications, particularly in self-cleaning and antifouling endeavors.