Highly transparent and durable superhydrophobic hybrid nanoporous coatings with different surface roughnesses were fabricated via a simple solidification-induced phase-separation method using a liquid polysiloxane (PSO) containing SiH and SiCH═CH2 groups as precursors and methyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane)s (PDMS) as porogens. Owing to the existence of SiCHn units, the hybrid material is intrinsically hydrophobic without modification with expensive fluorinated reagents. The roughness of the coating can be easily controlled at the nanometer scale by changing the viscosity of PDMS to achieve both superhydrophobicity and high transparency. The influence of surface roughness on the transparency and hydrophobicity of the coatings was investigated. The enhancement from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic with increasing surface roughness can be explained by the transition from the Wenzel state to the Cassie state. The optimum performance coating has an average transmittance higher than 85% in the visible-light range (400–780 nm), a water contact angle of 155°, and a slide angle lower than 1°. The coatings also exhibit good thermal and mechanical stability and durable superhydrophobicity, which paves the way for real applications of highly transparent superhydrophobic coatings.Keywords: organic−inorganic hybrid; solidification-induced phase separation; superhydrophobicity; transparency; Wenzel−Cassie transition

Micro/nano-porous SiOC foams with narrow pore size distribution were fabricated by pyrolysis of polymeric gels prepared from mixtures of crosslinkable polysiloxane PSO and methyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane PDMS. By simply changing the viscosity of the PDMS or its mass ratio in the mixed polymers, the pore sizes and porosities of the porous SiOC materials could be adjusted in the range from 10 nm to 3 μm, and 20% to 90%, respectively.

Magnetic ceramics were prepared by pyrolysis of polyferrocenylsilazanes (PZs) with linear-cyclic structure at different temperatures under nitrogen atmosphere. The ceramics was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with EDX. α-Fe nanoparticles (NPs) were found the only magnetic crystalline embedded in the amorphous Si/C/N-based matrix below 700 °C. The increase of temperature to 900 °C resulted in reactions between α-Fe NPs and the surrounded matrix to produce iron silicides. Above 600 °C, the type and size of magnetic crystallines were postulated to be controlled by nucleation of iron and the reaction of iron with matrix. When the temperature is below 900 °C, the nucleation of iron was dominate, which leaded to the growth of the α-Fe NPs, while above 900 °C, the reaction between α-Fe NPs and the matrix produced iron silicide particles and decreased the size of α-Fe NPs.

Micro/nano-porous SiOC foams with narrow pore size distribution were fabricated by pyrolysis of polymeric gels prepared from mixtures of crosslinkable polysiloxane PSO and methyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane PDMS. By simply changing the viscosity of the PDMS or its mass ratio in the mixed polymers, the pore sizes and porosities of the porous SiOC materials could be adjusted in the range from 10 nm to 3 μm, and 20% to 90%, respectively.