Journal of Bionic Engineering (2024) 21:1360–1374 

Durable Design of Superhydrophobic Coatings with TiO2 Particles and Al2O3 Whiskers for the Enhanced Anti-icing Performance

Weilan Liu1,2 · Kunlong Li2 · Yizhou Shen2  · Huanyu Zhao3 · Yaru Ni1 · Zeyu Cai2 · Lingfeng Zhao2 · Zhen Wang2

1 Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China

2 College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100, China

3 Aviation Industry Aerodynamics Research Institute of China, Shenyang 110000, China

Abstract

Superhydrophobic coatings with high non-wetting properties are widely applied in anti-icing applications. However, the micro-nanostructures on the surfaces of superhydrophobic coatings are fragile under external forces, resulting in reduced durability. Therefore, mechanical strength and durability play a crucial role in the utilization of superhydrophobic materials. In this study, we employed a two-step spraying method to fabricate superhydrophobic FEVE-based coatings with exceptional mechanical durability, utilizing ffuorinated TiO2 nanoparticles and ffuorinated Al2O3 microwhiskers as the ffllers. The composite coating exhibited commendable non-wetting properties, displaying a contact angle of 164.84° and a sliding angle of 4.3°. On this basis, the stability of coatings was signiffcantly improved due to the interlocking effect of Al2O3 whiskers. After 500 tape peeling cycles, 500 sandpaper abrasion tests, and 50 kg falling sand impact tests, the coatings retained superhydrophobicity, exhibiting excellent durability and application capability. Notably, the ice adhesion strength on the coatings was measured at only 65.4 kPa, while the icing delay time reached 271.8 s at -15 °C. In addition, throughout 500 freezing/melting cycles, statistical analysis revealed that the superhydrophobic coatings exhibited a freezing initiation temperature as low as -17.25 °C.

Keywords Superhydrophobic coatings · Anti-icing · Mechanical durability