Novel superhydrophobic carbon fiber/epoxy composites with anti-icing properties

Abstract In this study, novel carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites with anti-icing properties were made using a combination of octadecylamine modification and hard templating. First, the octadecylamine-modified epoxy resin was sprayed on the surface of CF/EP prepreg. Hierarchical micro/nanostructures were formed on the surfaces of the composites through hot pressing with aluminum templates that had been modified by sandblasting and anodizing. The resulting composites were superhydrophobic, with static contact angles of up to 155° and sliding angles as low as 8°. Superhydrophobicity was maintained after abrading with 400 grit SiC sandpaper. The anti-icing properties of the composites were quantified by measuring droplet freezing time and ice adhesion force. Compared to untreated CF/EP, the surface treatments used here increased the time to freeze a 5 μL surface droplet from 76 to 640 s at − 20 °C, and reduced ice adhesion strength from roughly 74 kPa to 50 kPa. Graphic abstract