Photothermal Superhydrophobic Anticorrosion Coating with Passive Anti-Icing and Active Deicing Properties

Q235 carbon steel suffers from severe corrosion and low-temperature icing in service environments, compromising its structural safety and long-term durability. In this study, we fabricated a photothermal superhydrophobic coating via a simple spray-coating method, which integrates anticorrosion, passive anti-icing, and active photothermal deicing functionalities. The coating exhibited a water contact angle of 153.7 ± 1.6° and a sliding angle of 2.5 ± 0.2°. It demonstrated self-cleaning, antifouling, and outstanding photothermal conversion performance. Under 1 sun irradiation, the surface temperature of the coating rose to 66.1 °C after 600 s. Even in low-temperature environments ranging from -5 to -20 °C, the coating rapidly reached temperatures of 1.2-9.2 °C within 300 s of light exposure. At -10, -15, and -20 °C, the freezing time of water droplets on the coating surface was significantly prolonged, reaching 1668, 597, and 131 s, respectively, demonstrating passive anti-icing properties. Moreover, under 1 sun irradiation, the coating rapidly melted frozen ice droplets at various low temperatures, showcasing remarkable active photothermal deicing performance. Additionally, the low-frequency impedance modulus and charge transfer resistance of the coating were 6 orders of magnitude higher than those of the bare substrate, indicating superior corrosion resistance. The development of this coating provides a promising technical candidate for anticorrosion and anti-icing applications in metals and alloys.