Functionalized Superhydrophobic Coatings with Electro-Photothermal Effect for All-Day Durable Anti-Icing

Superhydrophobic surfaces offer notable advantages, including markedly low water affinity and reduced ice adhesion strength. Nevertheless, their practical utility is impeded by their limited durability and vulnerability to failure in cold and humid environments. In this study, a novel approach for devising an electro-photothermal superhydrophobic (EPS) nanocomposite coating is presented. The findings indicate that the EPS nanocomposite coating exhibits both physical and chemical self-cleaning attributes, showcasing a synergistic interplay of superhydrophobicity, electrothermal, and photothermal characteristics. The superhydrophobic coating delays icing about four times longer than the original coating. At ambient temperatures of −20 °C, the coating stacked with an electro- and photo-thermal performance de-icing layer reduces the de-icing time by about 5 times more than the purely photo-thermal performance de-icing time, and reduces the de-icing time by about 4 times more than the purely electro-thermal de-icing time. Furthermore, the EPS surface demonstrates the capability to sustain temperatures above 0 °C through the photothermal effect on sunny days, utilizing both the electrothermal and photothermal effects on cloudy days, and relying on the electrothermal effect during cold nights. The research introduces a novel method for fabricating functional materials, pertinent to practical anti-icing and de-icing applications.