High-durable and photothermal self-healing properties of a silicon-polyaniline superhydrophobic composite network inspired by worms

The photothermal self-healing design is very beneficial for extending the lifespan of superhydrophobic materials, but the effective balancing of self-healing and superhydrophobic durability of materials remains a significant challenge. Inspired by worm structures, a facile photothermal responsive self-healing and high durability biomimetic superhydrophobic material (HPANI/BPDI) is constructed by combining dual cross-linking silicone resin (BPDI) with hierarchical roughly structured polyaniline (HPANI). Benefiting from the modulation of the HPANI worm-like structure, the material demonstrated excellent superhydrophobicity (water contact angle is approximately 152°). Moreover, the material can repair scratches by facilitating chain migration and reversible interaction at the interface within 20 ​min under 1.0 ​kW/m 2 sunlight irradiation owing to its appealing solar-to-heat conversion capability. This enhanced capability contributes significantly to passive anti-icing and active photothermal de-icing applications by increasing the freezing delay time and reducing the melting time on prepared surfaces. Furthermore, the sample of HPANI/BPDI demonstrated both mechanical and chemical stabilities when facing sandpaper abrasion, acid/alkaline immersion, and UV aging due to the adhesion function and shielding effect in the worm composite structure. Thus, the HPANI/BPDI inspired by the worm is anticipated to provide a general solution to the vexing issue of materials exhibiting transient hydrophobic characteristics.