Superhydrophobic (SHP) surfaces had promising application in anti-icing field. In this work, ZnO SHP surfaces were prepared on aluminum alloy by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The structure, chemical composition, morphology, wettability of the SHP surfaces were investigated by using corresponding methods. The anti-frosting/anti-icing performance of the ZnO SHP surfaces were investigated. Morphology of surfaces showed that sputtering time affected the surface morphology of the ZnO surfaces. When the sputtering time was 15 min, the rough structure exhibited excellent anti-frosting/anti-icing property due to the exceptional superhydrophobicity and self-transfer behavior at subzero temperature, which composed by densely gathered nanoclusters. The freezing of water droplets was delayed for about 2 h, and frosting was delayed for approximately 5 h at the temperature of −10 °C. The SHP surfaces could efficiently enhance the anti-icing property in glaze ice. Meanwhile, the as-prepared ZnO SHP surfaces displayed a low ice-adhesion strength of 12 ± 4.7 kPa. However, the structure with large undulation and pore space reduced the anti-frosting/anti-icing property of the SHP surface. This work provided a direction for the design and preparation of anti-icing surfaces for power transmission lines.
Superhydrophobic surfaces with micron-nanosized two-tiered structures have huge potential in practical applications. However, the complex preparation process and low-stability of the versatile superhydrophobic surfaces restricted their wide application. Herein, a facile chemical etching process was applied to create a micron-sized rough structure on the 1060 aluminum alloy substrate, and the micron-sized rough structure surface (M-surface) was hydrophobic with a water contact angle of 113.50° ± 2.7°. Then, the M-surface was modified by hydrophobic SiO 2 nanoparticles , and a superhydrophobic micron-nanosized two-tiered structure surface (MNSS-TMES/H-SiO 2 coating) with a water contact angle of 161.20° ± 2.3° was constructed. The as-prepared MNSS-TMES/H-SiO 2 coating can maintain superhydrophobicity after self-cleaning, sand impact, and anti-frosting tests. More importantly, the MNSS-TMES/H-SiO 2 coating exhibited superior anti-icing performance and higher defrosting efficiency. The freezing delay time of a water droplet on the MNSS-TMES/H-SiO 2 coating was prolonged to 4973.87 s at − 15 °C, and the frost layer on the resultant coating was melting speedily and turned into several isolated spherical water droplets in approximately 20 s. Therefore, the prepared durable fluorine-free superhydrophobic MNSS-TMES/H-SiO 2 coating with self-cleaning performance, higher defrosting efficiency, and the ability to delay icing, which has great prospects in practical applications.
A superhydrophobic (SHP) surface is believed to be potential candidates for anti-icing/frosting applications. In this study, a SHP surface with ZnO nanorods was fabricated through radio frequency (RF) magneton sputtering method. The XRD pattern, surface morphology, wettability and chemical composition were characterized by corresponding methods. The anti-frosting property and mechanism of frost propagation on surfaces exhibiting various degrees of wettability were investigated on a Peltier-based platform. Compared with the bare glass surface and a permanent-room-temperature-vulcanized silicon rubber-coated glass surface, the as-prepared SHP ZnO surface displays excellent anti-frosting property. Frost formation on the as-prepared SHP ZnO surface was delayed for 140 min at −10 °C. A large gap free of condensed water droplets formed on the as-prepared SHP ZnO surface because of the self-propelled movement and absorption of condensed water droplets by the frost front. As a consequence, the frost propagation rate is effectively reduced. Moreover, after 30 cycles of frosting/defrosting process, no evident degradation of the as-prepared SHP ZnO surfaces was observed, indicating fair durability against repetitive frosting/defrosting process. Our study provides insights into the mechanism of anti-frosting property of nanostructured SHP surfaces and proposes a potential method to fabricate an anti-frosting surface.
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