Robust Anti-Icing Performance of a Flexible Superhydrophobic Surface

Lei Wang; Qihua Gong; Shihui Zhan; Lei Jiang; Yongmei Zheng

doi:10.1002/adma.201602480

Robust Anti-Icing Performance of a Flexible Superhydrophobic Surface

Adv Mater. 2016 Sep;28(35):7729-35. doi: 10.1002/adma.201602480. Epub 2016 Jul 4.

Authors

Lei Wang¹, Qihua Gong¹, Shihui Zhan², Lei Jiang^{1

2}, Yongmei Zheng³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
² Beijing Key Lab of Cryobiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
³ Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China. zhengym@buaa.edu.cn.

PMID: 27375270
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201602480

Abstract

A material with superhydrophobic and anti-ice/de-icing properties, which has a micro-/nanostructured surface, is produced by a straightforward method. This material comprises a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microstructure with ZnO nanohairs and shows excellent water and ice repellency even at low temperatures (-20 °C) and relatively high humidity (90%) for over three months. These results are expected to be helpful for designing smart, non-wetting materials that can be adapted to low-temperature environments for the development of anti-icing systems.

Keywords: flexible materials; ice repellants; poly(dimethylsiloxane); superhydrophobic surfaces.