SiO₂/polydopamine photothermal superhydrophobic coating with good anti-icing performance

Abstract

The icing phenomenon has become a safety hazard for the normal operation of equipment. In this work, we report a strategy for simply obtaining photothermal anti-icing coatings by spraying acrylic resin, polydimethylsiloxane and polydopamine modified SiO2 particles on a steel plate substrate. The prepared icephobic AR/PDMS/SiO2@PDA composite coating not only has excellent superhydrophobicity (WCA = 162°). It also shows good anti- and de-icing performances. The superhydrophobic surface was able to delay freezing for 614 s at −20°C, and the ice adhesion of its surface was 54 kPa. In addition, PDA-modified SiO2 particles endow the coating with photothermal properties. Under the irradiation of simulated sunlight, the photothermal coating rapidly reached 61°C within 3 min, and the ice droplets completely melted in 155 s. Besides, it's able to withstand a wide range of chemical attacks and mechanical impacts. After 15 icing-de-icing cycles and 40 sandpaper abrasions cycles test, the prepared coatings can still maintain remarkable ice-removal performance, demonstrating excellent mechanical robustness and stability in harsh environments.