Novel superhydrophobic polystyrene microspheres/polydimethylsiloxane coating on aluminum alloy with excellent anti-freezing and self-cleaning performances

In this study, we develop a superhydrophobic coating on an aluminum alloy plate, and the related weatherability and applications are investigated. The superhydrophobic coating consisting of polystyrene microspheres (PS) with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is prepared by a facile and effective one-step spraying method. The as-prepared PS/PDMS coating possesses good repellency to several kinds of liquid droplets and has a high water contact angle of ∼158° and a low sliding angle of ∼5.9°. The surface morphologies and chemical composition of the PS/PDMS coating are investigated by SEM, EDS, and LSM. The thermal stability, rainwater immersion, self-cleaning, and anti-icing of the PS/PDMS coating are evaluated. The freezing-delay time of 7 μL water droplets on the PS/PDMS coating is 34 s longer than that of the uncoated-Al surface at − 15 ℃. The average icing speed of the PS/PDMS coating is also much lower than that of the uncoated-Al surface. This PS/PDMS coating is suitable for industrial applications as it can be easily scaled up to create uniform superhydrophobic surfaces.