Self-Adaptive Zwitterionic Polysilazane Coatings with Mechanical Robustness, High Transparency, and Broad-Spectrum Antiadhesion Properties

Abstract

Antiadhesive coatings have been extensively studied owing to their wide applications in biology, environment, and energy. However, developing a mechanically robust coating with broad-spectrum antiadhesion properties remains challenging. Herein, a novel strategy for preparing hard yet flexible and self-adaptive zwitterionic polysilazane coatings with broad-spectrum antiadhesion properties (anti-biofouling, anti-liquid adhesion, and anti-scaling) is proposed. The coatings are prepared by combining polysilazane with a telomer (FT) consisting of a low-surface-energy fluorine motif and hydrolysis-induced zwitterions. Before Si─OH generation in polysilazane, the fluorine motif drives the zwitterionic precursor to enrich on the surface, generating a zwitterionic layer following pre-hydrolysis. This unique design prevents the coatings from swelling in water, allowing them to adapt to diverse environments. The fluorine motif can orient toward the surface of air, providing anti-liquid adhesion capabilities, whereas the zwitterions orient underwater to endow anti-biofouling, anti-liquid adhesion, and anti-scaling capabilities. The highly cross-linked network toughened by FT contributes to the high hardness (up to 7H) and good flexibility of the coating. The chemical bonding between the coating and substrates ensures their strong adhesion (≈2.06–7.67 MPa). This study contributes to the design of mechanically robust broad-spectrum antiadhesive coatings applicable in marine industries, optical devices, pipeline transportation, and other fields.