Interfacial designed multifunctional defense of GO-enabled superamphiphobic architectures for chemical stability and thermal-electrical synergy

Superamphiphobic coatings are of increasing interest for applications in chemical processing and energy-related devices. Distinct from conventional superhydrophobic surfaces, achieving robust superamphiphobicity requires the simultaneous integration of ultralow surface energy and hierarchical roughness, which remains challenging regarding synthetic control and long-term chemical stability. In this work, a sol-gel-derived strategy was developed to fabricate multifunctional superamphiphobic composite coatings. By modulating the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) content under alkaline conditions, controlled crosslinking was achieved between 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PFDTES) and polydopamine-functionalized graphene oxide (PDA-GO) nanosheets, resulting in structurally tailored nanocomposite powders. These powders were subsequently formulated with flaky graphite and fluorocarbon resin via spray-coating and thermal curing to produce mechanically robust coatings. The prepared coatings exhibited high liquid repellency toward various liquids (including those with surface tensions as low as 33.4 mN/m), with a static contact angle of 153.33° ± 0.74° and a roll-off angle of 5.79° ± 2.02° for oil droplets. Notably, the excellent liquid-repellency was maintained after 67 days of continuous immersion in concentrated acidic, alkaline, and saline solutions, indicating enhanced chemical durability. Furthermore, the incorporation of two-dimensional graphene oxide enabled multifunctional performance, including an electrical resistivity of 1.21 ± 0.07 Ω·cm, as well as improved thermal response and photothermal conversion capabilities. This combination of superamphiphobicity, chemical resistance, and multifunctionality suggests that these coatings are promising candidates for the protection of critical industrial components, such as high-power electronics and chemical reactors.