Scalable nanoporous superhydrophobic films toward extreme icing conditions at −141°C and icing wind tunnel

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces offer a promising passive anti-icing alternative, yet they frequently fail to sustain the nonwetting Cassie‑Baxter state under dynamic icing conditions. Conventional approaches for robust superhydrophobic anti-icing coating rely on high nanoparticle loadings (>50 wt%) to achieve the desired nanoporous roughness, often compromising cost efficiency and interfacial robustness. Herein, we proposed a novel and practical substrate-driven spraying strategy to construct fine nanoporous structures, allowing superhydrophobicity at a substantially reduced nanoparticle content of 2.5wt%. The optimized nanoporous superhydrophobic films exhibited excellent dynamic anti-icing performance, effectively repelling impacting droplets at −141°C and suppressing long-term condensation for over 3 h. Furthermore, the dynamic deicing behaviors are confirmed by the high slipperiness of melted ice and coalescence-induced wriggling of melting ice/frost. When integrated into composite airfoils, the film surface exhibits outstanding practical efficacy in icing wind tunnel tests. Only 0.4 W/cm2 of power density was required to suppress icing at both the leading edge and runback zone. This work offers a promising pathway for implementing high-performance anti-icing solutions in advanced resin-based composite materials in wind turbine blades, aircraft, and cryogenic fuel storage tanks.