To overcome the limitations of poor transparency, insufficient mechanical stability, or reliance on fluorinated compounds in existing transparent antifouling coatings, the work aims to propose a preparation strategy of fluorine-free epoxy resin-based liquid-like coatings. By constructing a coating system that combines high transparency, excellent antifouling performance, and environmental friendliness, the strategy can provide a viable new surface protection solution for applications in food packaging, kitchenware, and optical components. A fluorine-free transparent liquid-like coating was constructed by incorporating monoepoxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into an epoxy resin matrix via spray coating combined with thermal curing. The effect of PDMS content on the surface structure, wettability, and antifouling performance of the coatings was systematically investigated. Morphological and compositional analyses revealed that the coating surface was dense and smooth (Rq≈0.35 nm), with PDMS chains uniformly covering and enriching at the interface. Dynamic wettability tests indicated that the coating exhibited low-adhesion behavior, with sliding angles below 10° for various liquids with different surface tensions, and maintained a visible-light transmittance of approximately 95%, comparable to bare glass. This strategy provides a feasible approach for fabricating highly transparent, low-adhesion, and environmentally friendly epoxy-based antifouling coatings.
Key words
polydimethylsiloxane /
liquid-like surface /
epoxy resin /
coating /
antifouling
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