Preparation and performance of self-healing nanocomposite coating with hydrophobic self-cleaning ability

With the rapid development of today's society, hydrophobic materials are widely used in many fields due to their excellent hydrophobicity. This article presents a nanocomposite coating with self-cleaning and self-healing properties. The nanoparticles (TiO 2 ) were prepared by hydrothermal method, and the TiO 2 was hydrophobically modified by adjusting the content of stearic acid (SA) and compounded with a synthetic self-healing silicone-containing polyurethane (SiPU). A self-healing nanocomposite coating (SA-TiO 2 /SiPU) with hydrophobic self-cleaning capability was obtained by a simple brushing technique, with a water contact angle of up to 135.1° and good mechanical properties, reaching a maximum tensile strength of 3.11 MPa and a maximum elongation of 537%, and a repair efficiency of 89.39% after 12 h of fracture repair at room temperature. The self-healing properties and stability of the coating can increase the service life of the coating, and the self-cleaning properties can also effectively prevent contaminants from adhering to the surface; its excellent performance has the potential for a wide range of practical applications. Highlights An environmentally self-cleaning composite coating (SA-TiO 2 /SiPU) was prepared in this study. The preparation method of the hydrophobic composite coating is simple. The micro-nano structure of SA-TiO 2 /SiPU is critical for its hydrophobicity. The SA-TiO 2 /SiPU coating with good self-healing properties. The SA-TiO 2 /SiPU exhibited excellent durability and self-cleaning properties.