Research Progress of Anti-icing/Deicing with Superhydrophobic Coating

In view of the serious threat of ice accumulation and frost snow to the safety of outdoor equipment and the huge economic losses caused by it, it is forced to seek efficient anti-icing and deicing strategies to reduce the accumulation of ice on the surface, so as to ensure the safe and stable operation of outdoor equipment. Among many methods, the superhydrophobic surface is considered as a potential anti-icing and deicing means because of its excellent hydrophobic properties and simple preparation process. However, further investigations have found that although superhydrophobic surfaces can effectively reduce ice formation, reduce ice adhesion and prolong freezing time, they cannot completely avoid ice formation. Therefore, in recent years, the combination of the active deicing technology and the superhydrophobic surface has become the most popular research direction in deicing. In this paper, the basic theory of solid surface wettability and the mechanism of anti-icing and deicing are described. By reducing the contact area of the solid-liquid interface, the super-hydrophobic surface enables water droplets to quickly rebound and leave the surface, thereby avoiding the nucleation and freezing of water droplets on the surface, extending the freezing time of liquid droplets and reducing the probability of freezing, reducing the adhesion of ice, and enabling the ice to fall off under the action of gravity, thus effectively reducing the formation of ice or promoting the ice to fall off. Further, the research progress of self-repairing, wear resistance, electrothermal and photothermal superhydrophobic coatings in anti-icing and deicing is reviewed, and the existing problems and challenges are analyzed. Although photothermal materials are now known as the most potential anti-icing and deicing materials, in practical applications, photothermal superhydrophobic coatings still face some challenges, such as high production costs and complex preparation processes, which may limit their wide application in industry. What's more, the deicing efficiency of such coatings will be severely limited when the light intensity is insufficient. Therefore, how to maintain the continuous anti-icing characteristics of the photothermal superhydrophobic surface, so as to develop energy-saving, environmental protection, durable performance and low cost multi-functional collaborative anti-icing coatings, is the development trend of focus in this field. Finally, this paper summarizes the common preparation methods of superhydrophobic coatings, including template method, spray method, laser ablation method, chemical deposition method, anodic oxidation method and chemical etching method, and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of different methods. However, because the current performance test of superhydrophobic coatings is mainly concentrated in the laboratory, there is a lack of large-scale practical applications. Therefore, future research should focus on actual performance tests and the development of more performance tests, and explore high heat resistance, long durability, fluoride-free, environmentally friendly materials and technologies. Looking ahead, there are still many issues to be solved to achieve the scale of superhydrophobic anti-icing and deicing coatings in industrial applications, including challenges such as process technology, preparation cost and performance durability. Through continued innovation and research, it is expected to be able to develop bionic super-hydrophobic surfaces that are more economical, environmentally friendly and efficient, providing an effective solution to reduce the problem of surface icing on outdoor equipment. © 2025 Chongqing Wujiu Periodicals Press. All rights reserved.