A novel biopolymer-based omniphobic coating system functionalized by polysilazane for anti-smudge, chemical shielding, and bacterial anti-adhesion applications

In this work, a novel biopolymer-based omniphobic coating system is developed by using mercaptosuccinic acid-modified soybean oil biopolymer as a coating precursor (SOMA), polysilazane (PSZ) as an omniphobic agent, and trimethylolpropane tris(2-methyl-1-aziridinepropionate) (TTMAP) as a curing agent. The resultant omniphobic coatings are highly transparent with smooth surfaces due to inherent coating compatibility. And the introduction of polysilazane effectively reduces coating surface energy, bestows the coatings with remarkable anti-smudge properties, making them available for anti-ink, anti-graffiti, and anti-fingerprint applications. Also, these coatings exhibits outstanding chemical shielding performance to protect substrates from exposure to extreme corrosive environments. In addition, they are verified to be mechanically robust, and can be toned into various colors without compromising coating omniphobicity. By experimental comparison, these omniphobic coatings show incomparable advantages over commercial fluorinated omniphobic coatings, superomniphobic coatings, and superhydrophobic coatings in view of liquid repellency and application prospect. More strikingly, they are able to repel bacterial suspension and inhibit bacterial adhesion, thus providing substrates with low bacterial adhesivity. Therefore, these newly-developed biopolymer-based omniphobic coatings are sustainable and versatile in functions, and enormously promising for widespread applications.