Interfacial covalent bonding for robust superhydrophobic coatings with enhanced anti-icing and corrosion resistance

초록

Icing on wind turbine blades and power transmission lines poses critical operational and safety risks by increasing structural loads, reducing efficiency, and potentially causing failures. Superhydrophobic (SH) coatings have emerged as effective anti-icing strategies due to their water-repellent nature. However, conventional SH coatings typically based on fluorosilane surface treatments or physically embedded roughness suffer from poor mechanical durability and limited long-term stability under corrosive environments. In this study, we developed a robust SH coating through interfacial covalent bonding between an epoxy resin matrix and silica nanoparticles, mediated by hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (H-PDMS). This covalent bonding network significantly improved both mechanical strength and corrosion stability while maintaining excellent wettability, as evidenced by a water contact angle of 167.7 degrees and a sliding angle of 2.1 degrees. The chemically bonded interface effectively lowered the surface energy of the coating, thereby enhancing anti-icing performance by delaying ice nucleation and suppressing frost propagation. The developed coating extended freezing delay time by a factor of 46 and reduced frost propagation rate by four times compared to uncoated surfaces. This spray-fabricated surface clearly demonstrates that introducing interfacial covalent bonding between the matrix and filler effectively overcomes the durability limitations of conventional SH surfaces. This approach offers a practical and scalable solution for industrial applications requiring long-term anti-icing and corrosion resistance under harsh environmental conditions.

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