An anti-icing coating with superhydrophobic and photothermal properties for aircraft icing protection system

To address the hazards posed by icing environments on flight safety, a series of anti-icing measures for aircraft have gradually developed. However, with the continuous enhancement of aircraft aerodynamic performance, especially the desire for engines and propellers to achieve higher fuel efficiency, optimization of modern aircraft anti-icing protection systems is required. Here, a method was proposed for creating a robust superhydrophobic photothermal coating with a micro-nano hierarchical structure by spraying on ice-prone areas of the aircraft, aimed at reducing the high energy consumption and cost of anti-icing systems. The superhydrophobic structure on the coating surface exhibited a static water contact angle of 159.5 degrees and extremely low liquid adhesion, demonstrating excellent stability after mechanical wear, chemical corrosion, and ultraviolet irradiation tests. This structure allowed droplets to rebound quickly upon impact with the coating and completely detach within 11 ms, and could significantly delay the icing time of droplets on the coating surface in low-temperature environments, showing good anti-icing performance. The photothermal conversion performance of the coating ensured effective self-deicing under sunny conditions. Furthermore, icing wind tunnel tests validated the coating's anti-icing performance and photothermal effects, revealing that this coating could significantly reduce ice accumulation thickness. The results of this study provide options for achieving a low-energy, low-cost, and sustainable aircraft anti-icing protection system, conducive to the development of new anti-icing technologies.