Substrate-Independent Polymeric Nanowrinkled Coatings Synthesized via One-Step Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract Polymeric wrinkled surfaces are attractive for functional surface engineering, but most existing fabrication strategies rely on substrate deformation, limiting their use on rigid or complex substrates. Here, we report a fully vapor-phase, substrate-independent approach for fabricating polymeric nanowrinkled surfaces through sequential initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) of poly(1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-trivinylcyclotrisiloxane) (PV3D3) and poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate) (PPFDA), without pre-straining, thermal shrinking, or elastomeric substrates. The resulting nanowrinkled PV3D3/PPFDA coating exhibited superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle above 150°. The coating further demonstrated effective self-cleaning performance, delayed frost accumulation, a 7-fold increase in water droplet freezing time compared with bare quartz, and significantly reduced bacterial attachment. Moreover, the polymeric nanowrinkled coating maintained its morphology, chemical composition, and hydrophobicity after prolonged exposure to aqueous, acidic, and alkaline environments. This work establishes a versatile route for generating polymeric nanowrinkled coatings on diverse substrates, providing new opportunities for multifunctional surface engineering through fully vapor-phase processing.