A Robust Superhydrophobic Smart Coating with Reversible Thermochromic and Photochromic Property

Abstract

Both thermochromic and photochromic coating have attracted many attentions due to their widely applications, but the low stability is a big obstacle. Inspired by the lotus leaf, to endow the chromic coating with superhydrophobicity is a possible solution. In this research, a dual response coating was prepared by adding photochromic and thermochromic particles simultaneously. The prepared sample demonstrated at least four-state color switching, which can be successfully used in tactile imaging, multi-color fabric, erasable record, and security labels. The superhydrophobicity was achieved by introducing vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, which not only offers low surface energy but also can cross-link with the particles to increase the adhesion. Thus, the prepared sample maintained superhydrophobicity after various kinds of destruction (such as sandpaper abrasion, corrosive liquid attack, ultrasonic treatment, UV irradiation, and high-speed drops/turbulent jets impact). Even though the superhydrophobicity can be destroyed by plasma etching, it can be recovered after 12 h at room temperature.

Preparation of Temperature-Sensitive Colour-Changing Materials and Their Applications to Clothing Fabrics: Taking a Compound Composed of Crystal Violet Lactone, Bisphenol A, and Octadecanol as an Example

“…The progress of science and technology has opened up new avenues for clothing design, with temperature-sensitive colour-changing materials being one of the prominent technologies [1]. The main principle behind these materials is their ability to undergo molecular structural changes in response to temperature fluctuations, leading to alterations in the material's reflectance spectrum and resulting in surface colour changes [2]. Compared to conventional materials, temperature-sensitive colour-changing materials exhibit rapid and dynamic colour transformations, presenting various colour options in apparel design at different temperatures [3].…”

“…The average particle size of the microcapsules was 28.45 μm; as the temperature increased, the colour of the compound gradually changed from purple to blue and then faded gradually (2). The weight of the microencapsulated powder decreased as the temperature increased.…”