UV-triggered Polymerization of Polyelectrolyte Composite Coating with Pore Formation and Lubricant Infusion

Porous coatings with the features of muti-interfaces and high specific surface area have emerged as an excellent material platform for the manipulation of porous structures. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique has been widely used in preparing porous polyelectrolyte coatings. However, the efficient construction of stable film from the LbL technique is still a question. Herein, we reported a new solution to construct a stabilized polyelectrolyte coating with porous structures. Inspired by the mechanical reinforcement of double-network hydrogel, we constructed the poly(ethylenimine) (PEI)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) coating by in situ photopolymerization of acrylic acid in the PEI network instead of assembling PEI and PAA. Compared with the LbL films, the in situ polymerized coating kept higher stability after 30 iterations of friction. Porous structures could also be constructed after acid treatment, which was utilized to load lubricant to enhance the lubricating property of the coating. This work provides a new method for the construction of dynamic and stable polyelectrolyte coatings, expediting more development of practical applications.