Preparation of silica-polydimethylsiloxane-fluoroalkysilane hybrid films and their applications

Abstract

Water-repellent inorganic-organic hybrid films have been prepared from mixtures of polymerized tetraethoxysilane, silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS). The resultant films showed excellent water-repellency and water-slip ability. The durability of the film was improved by the increase in the number of silanol groups at the end of PDMS and the addition of FAS. The resulting silica-PDMS-FAS films showed good practical durability and have been come to practical use of water-repellent windshields for automobiles.