Multienergy Barrier Anti-/Deicing Surface with Excellent Photothermal Effect

Superhydrophobic surfaces are considered to be an effective method for anti-icing, but passive anti-icing alone is not as effective as it should be, so it is crucial to develop effective anti-icing techniques. In this study, a photothermal anti-icing structure with multienergy barriers was designed by combining active and passive anti-icing technologies and prepared by a three-step method of laser etching, hydrothermal growth of nanostructures, and chemical modification based on the Cassie–Baxter–Wenzel transition theory. The experimental results show that the static water contact angle of the prepared surface is up to 160°, the sliding angle is less than 3.6°, and the surface temperature is 25 °C higher than that of the original control group over 100 s under standard solar irradiation. The multienergy barrier design greatly prolongs the time of the anti-icing, and the durability test shows that the surface maintains superhydrophobicity even after the abrasion of sandpaper and the impact of sand. This superhydrophobic photothermal coating has great potential for anti-icing and deicing applications.