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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Sharkskin-inspired armour design: A facile powder-coating strategy for durable superhydrophobic surfaces in underwater applications
Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol.212, pp.1-12
2026
Abstract
Underwater superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) hold great potential for various applications, but their development has been hindered by complex fabrication and limited durability. This study reported the first demonstration of a sharkskin-inspired SHS that combined micro-riblet armouring with a one-step powder-coating strategy to form a volumetric superhydrophobic (SH) layer. Here, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-functionalized fumed silica nanoparticles were directly embedded into a partially cured polyurethane (PU)/PDMS composite sharkskin microstructure, creating a robust, hierarchical interface. This bio-inspired design produced two unprecedented features: (i) a regenerative volumetric SH layer with water contact angle (WCA) of 161°, where nanoparticles were anchored into the thickness of the coating to a certain depth rather than merely on the surface, and (ii) a riblet-based armoured framework that physically shielded nanoscale features from abrasion and hydrodynamic erosion, sustaining hydrophobicity. As a result, the coating exhibited exceptional durability, retaining SH properties after 24 m of sandpaper abrasion, 30 days of saltwater immersion, outdoor exposure, or a 25-min water jet test. The surface further achieved a 34 % drag reduction, outperforming conventional SH coatings. This environmentally friendly, solvent-free, single-step, and scalable approach overcomes long-standing durability limitations of SH sharkskin surfaces and provides a practical platform for large-scale maritime, industrial, and underwater applications.
Details
- Title
- Sharkskin-inspired armour design: A facile powder-coating strategy for durable superhydrophobic surfaces in underwater applications
- Authors
- Zhao Qing Tang - Swinburne University of TechnologyTongfei Tian - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringDong Ruan - Swinburne University of TechnologyPaul J. Molino - Defence Science and Technology GroupAlex Skvortsov - Defence Science and TechnologyJie Ding (Corresponding Author) - Defence Science and Technology GroupYali Li (Corresponding Author) - Swinburne University of Technology
- Publication details
- Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol.212, pp.1-12
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.porgcoat.2025.109841
- ISSN
- 1873-331X; 0300-9440
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- Data will be made available on request.
- Grants
- Grant note
- This study was partially supported by the Australian Submarine Agency and DARPA (contract HR00112490346).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991208981202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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