Epoxy resins are extensively employed in the construction, electronics, automotive, and aerospace industries owing to their outstanding mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and electrical insulation. However, their intrinsic flammability, poor wear resistance, and hydrophilicity significantly restrict broader applications. To address these challenges, a novel multifunctional coating (CEOS-DOPO-PDMS) has been designed and fabricated via an NP-GLIDE approach. The system integrates 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) as a reactive phosphorus-based flame retardant, epoxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (EP-PDMS) as a hydrophobic segment, and cycloaliphatic epoxy-functionalized oligosiloxanes (CEOS) as a cross-linking co-reactant. The resulting CEOS-DOPO-PDMS hybrid precursor was blended with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and subsequently cured to form epoxy-based NP-GLIDE coatings. The optimized coating exhibits superior integrated performance, including high hydrophobicity (water contact angle up to 109.6°), outstanding abrasion resistance (5H pencil hardness), and excellent flame retardancy (resisting combustion at 500°C for 30 s). These enhancements originate from the cooperative effects of the Si-O-Si framework, low-surface-energy PDMS chains, and phosphorus-containing DOPO moieties, which together provide stable thermal protection, surface roughness-induced hydrophobicity, and durable mechanical integrity. An effective strategy for constructing multifunctional epoxy-based coatings with simultaneously enhanced flame retardancy, wear resistance, and water repellency is presented. The CEOS-DOPO-PDMS system holds great promise for advanced protective applications in construction, transportation, and aerospace engineering.
Wu et al. (2026) studied this question.