Fabrication of POSS-tethered fluorinated glycidyl copolymers as durable hydrophobic and adhesive coatings

Cultural relics reflect the vitality and creativity of human beings but are being irreversibly damaged with the current protective materials exhibiting high brittleness, easy crack and unsatisfactory protection. We fabricated a POSS-based polymer POSS-g-(PGMA-co-PFMA)₂ with high transparency, high hydrophobicity and adhesive nature by SI-ATRP. In addition to reducing the phase separation during film formation, the POSS-based polymer also improved the transparency (up to 99 %). The protected sandstone presented almost no changes (ΔΕ^⁎ = 1.34) on the chroma compared to the pristine sandstone. The polymer showed good surface hydrophobicity (glass: 100–105°; sandstone: 131°) and adhesive properties (0.44–2.59 MPa) which varied based on solvents. With increasing GMA content, there was gradual increase in the adhesive strength (0.59–2.68 MPa). Meanwhile, the POSS-g-(PGMA-co-PFMA)₂ film presented excellent freeze-thaw resistance and salt tolerance. As a kind of hydrophobic and bonding coating material suitable for harsh environments with high hydrophobic, high transparency, high thermal stability, and durability, it provides a new solution to solve the severe problem of cultural relics protection with a wide application prospect.