Research progress of multifunctional anti‐icing composites materials

Abstract

The accumulation of ice and snow will have a great impact on industry and people's lives. People usually adopted active deicing method for deicing in the past, which is characterized by high energy consumption, low efficiency, and high cost. Passive anti‐icing materials are the most widely used due to their low icing adhesion strength and energy saving, but passive anti‐icing materials tend to lose anti‐icing performance after mechanical damage or following exposure to harsh environments resembling low temperatures, high humidity. Recently, new anti‐icing materials have been rationally designed through the combination of passive and active anti‐icing, exhibiting high‐efficiency and energy‐saving anti‐icing properties. The design idea is that low surface energy polymers combine photothermal and electrothermal particles to achieve photothermal and electrothermal superhydrophobic anti‐icing. Anti‐icing materials are easily damaged after long‐term outdoor use, so the self‐healing capabilities of the materials are important. This review briefly introduces the ice formation mechanism and anti‐icing methods, focusing on the recent progress in the structural design of superhydrophobic, photothermal, electrothermal, and self‐healing anti‐icing materials. The design of the new generation of anti‐icing materials will be a combination of active and passive anti‐icing, which can achieve ideal all‐weather anti‐icing and deicing and repair the damage during long‐term use.