Durable superhydrophobic coatings for off-road vehicle chassis systems: Efficient anti-icing and corrosion resistance

To address the challenges of equipment icing and corrosion in outdoor industrial applications, particularly the self-cleaning, anti-icing, and anti-corrosion needs of off-road vehicle chassis systems, this study employs a simple and efficient one-step spray coating method to develop a durable superhydrophobic coating. The coating exhibits excellent anti-icing capabilities and long-term corrosion resistance. Its micro-nano structure endows it with outstanding hydrophobicity, with a contact angle of 163.8°± 3.6° and a sliding angle of 2.9°± 0.2°. The superhydrophobic property of the coating significantly prolongs the freezing time of water droplets, reaching 567.2 seconds. Furthermore, the coating maintained exceptional waterproof performance during tests of mechanical abrasion, anti-corrosion, anti-fouling, and thermal stability. Even after 25 cycles of abrasive wear and exposure to harsh corrosive environments, its performance remained stable. Electrochemical tests showed that the corrosion current density of the superhydrophobic coating was only 2.74 × 10 −8 A/cm 2 , which is three orders of magnitude lower than the corrosion current density 2.474 × 10 −5 A/cm 2 of bare aluminum alloy, achieving a corrosion inhibition efficiency of up to 99.88 %, demonstrating its remarkable anti-corrosion properties.