Facile Fabrication of Robust Superhydrophobic Ice Shedding Coating with Superior Corrosion Resistance and Temperature Durability

Abstract

Ice accumulation on the surface of outdoor equipment has adverse effects on normal operation. The superhydrophobic surface has attracted more attention because of its nonwettability and good ice-shedding potential. However, the poor stability seriously limits the application. Here, the robust superhydrophobic coating with excellent stability and ice-shedding performance was prepared by a facile spraying way. The combination of ethylene−propylene−diene terpolymer and γaminopropyl triethoxysilane could significantly enhance the robustness and stability. The coating can be directly sprayed on a variety of substrate surfaces to achieve large-scale production applications, and the bonding of internal particles and the adhesion of the coating to the substrate were strong. The coating showed a high contact angle and low rolling angle, exhibiting excellent self-cleaning ability, ice delay performance, low ice nucleation temperature, and low ice adhesion strength. Notably, the coating possessed excellent mechanical robustness, corrosion resistance, and temperature durability, maintaining superhydrophobic properties and low ice adhesion strength after 200 abrasion cycles, 60 tape-peeling cycles, 2 h water impacting, 30 min sand impacting, long time immersion (pH 1∼14), and 10 days at −40 °C/150 °C. This work provides a facile way to prepare robust superhydrophobic coating for ice shedding, which greatly improves the application in practical environments.

Structure–Property Relationships for Fluorinated and Fluorine-Free Superhydrophobic Crack-Free Coatings

“…While FAS enhances water repellency, using higher concentrations raises environmental concerns and can lead to cracks in the coating. These cracks are detrimental to performance, especially in situations involving ice and corrosion [69,70].…”

“…Cracks primarily result from high particle loading, where insufficient binder leads to a weakened coating. Elevated particle contents induce stress, ultimately leading to crack formation [70]. To better understand the reason behind the crack formation, the cross-section of the coatings was analyzed using SEM.…”