3D-printable hydrophobic silicone inks for antiadhesion tough objects via molecular engineering

3D printable hydrophobic ink is highly desirable to simply print hydrophobic objects for various applications, such as oil/water separation. However, printable hydrophobic monomers/inks are limited which seriously restricts the fabrication and application of 3D printing hydrophobic objects. Herein, simulating the crown, trunk, and roots of trees from the molecular levels, coatings/objects were designed and prepared using a 6-functional hyperbranching polyurethane acrylate (PUA) monomer as the “trunk”, mono-acrylate terminated polydimethylsiloxane (Vi-PDMS) as the “leaf”, and tripropylene glycol diacrylate (TPGDA) as the “root”. The printed objects with excellent mechanical properties and stable hydrophobicity with CAs and SAs in the range of 80°–110° and 10°–30°, respectively, and could be used in a variety of environments (e.g., acid-based solution, seawater) for a month. Cylindrical, ladder, and mushroom-shaped micro-nano structures could be prepared to improve the hydrophobicity of the printed objects to achieve CAs up to ∼170°. The antiadhesion tough teeth and microchannels could be prepared facilely with the hydrophobic inks. This work demonstrates a simple and rapid method to manufacture various complex and sophisticated hydrophobic coatings/objects and a broader strategy for 3D printing technology. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.