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.