A novel superhydrophobic hybrid nanocomposite material prepared by surface-initiated AGET ATRP and its anti-icing properties

Abstract

Ice aggregation is a global challenge, especially for cold regions. In this article, a novel anti-icing hybrid material synthesized by grafting fluorinated polymer chains to silica nanoparticles via surface-initiated activators generated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-AGET ATRP) was proposed. It showed such properties as controllable molecular design, wonderful thermal stability and high superhydrophobicity. Most importantly, it exhibited excellent anti-icing properties by using coatings with different wettabilities that varied from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. Its large static water contact angle (WCA, 170.3°) and small contact angle hysteresis (CAH, <3°) can promote the removal of droplets efficiently. A new characterization method, DSC, was used to test the crystallization point of water and its results demonstrated that the crystallization point can be depressed to a large extent (6.82 °C). The low temperature WCA showed that it can postpone the freezing time from 196 s to 10 054 s which indicates the surface can prevent ice formation well, especially with the help of external forces. The mechanisms were discussed based on physicochemical properties, heterogeneous nucleation theory and heat transfer theory. According to the present study, it is reasonable to predict that the organic–inorganic hybrid superhydrophobic coating will be a prospective anti-icing candidate for various applications such as wind turbine blades, power lines and aircraft.