Ultrablack, Superhydrophobic Coating for Efficient Anti-Icing and De-Icing in Humid Cold Environments.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Photothermal superhydrophobic coatings offer a dual approach for anti-icing by combining solar heating with water repellency.
• Current coatings often involve complex manufacturing, hazardous materials, or underperform in cold, humid environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile, scalable, and high-performance photothermal superhydrophobic coating for anti-icing applications.
• To address the limitations of existing coatings regarding fabrication complexity, material safety, and performance under realistic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an ultrablack and superhydrophobic coating via spraying a mixture of porous reduced graphene oxide microspheres (PGM) and fluororesin onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) base layer.
• Characterization of the coating's light absorption, photothermal conversion efficiency, superhydrophobicity (water contact angle >150°), and self-cleaning properties.
• Evaluation of anti-icing and de-icing performance under various low-temperature (-10 °C) and high-humidity (90%) conditions, including ice shedding times under solar illumination.

Main Results:

• The PGM-FP coating achieved broadband light absorption up to 99.5% and a photothermal conversion efficiency reaching 86.9 °C under 1.0 kW·m⁻² illumination.
• The coating demonstrated robust superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning capabilities, delaying freezing for over 5 hours at -10 °C and 90% humidity (900x longer than bare aluminum).
• Efficient ice shedding was observed within 55 seconds under 1.0 sun and a 1.5 mm ice layer within 105 seconds under 0.5 sun.

Conclusions:

• The developed PGM-FP coating provides a promising, scalable, and effective solution for real-world anti- and de-icing challenges.
• Its convenient preparation, sprayability, and adhesion on diverse substrates, coupled with stability in various chemical environments, highlight its practical applicability.
• This facile fabrication method overcomes limitations of current technologies, offering a reliable route for preventing ice accumulation on infrastructure.