Micro/nano-cactus structured aluminium with superhydrophobicity and plasmon-enhanced photothermal trap for icephobicity

Photothermal anti-icing/deicing is an efficient way to circumvent the problems caused by the formation and accumulation of frost and ice to the people living in cold regions. However, achieving this process on robust materials with high efficiency and long-term stability is always challenging. Herein, we facilely constructed a black and superhydrophobic Al using Laser surface direct writing (LSDW) and thermal evaporation of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane for efficient anti-icing/deicing applications. The prepared multifunctional Al surface showed excellent superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 161.2° and light-harvesting capacity with over 94.5% absorption (>96% in the visible spectral range) mainly based on the surface plasmonic resonance of cactus-like Al micro/nanoparticles. The multifunctional Al exhibited excellent light-induced heating and thermal/cold stability, reduced ice adhesion strength, and self-cleaning through its small sliding angle (approximately 0°). With good photothermal behaviors and superhydrophobicity, the multifunctional Al showed strong anti-icing capacity by inhibiting the nucleation and growth of ice crystals, and rapidly deicing and melting the frost and ice layers at − 30 °C. Fabricating such multifunctional Al provides a feasible method for high-efficient anti-icing/deicing applications relied on the green and renewable solar energy.