ZIXILAI conducted a series of low-temperature experiments in a self-made semiconductor refrigeration chamber, and the results showed that the superhydrophobic surface has good ability to delay icing and suppress frosting.
Superhydrophobic surfaces have broad potential for basic research and industrial applications. A typical application is to use the self-cleaning function of superhydrophobic coatings to achieve anti fouling purposes. It utilizes the small rolling angle of water droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces, making it easy for dust particles to be carried away during rain. It is mainly used in solar energy, automotive manufacturing (surfaces and window glass), and construction fields. At the same time, the contact angle of droplets on superhydrophobic films is large and the contact area is small, so they usually have corrosion resistance, which can avoid or significantly reduce the corrosion of acidic or alkaline liquids, thereby extending the service life of equipment.
Based on their unique waterproof performance, another potential application of superhydrophobic surfaces is to use them to reduce surface snow or ice accumulation, and even completely prevent icing on solid surfaces. Every year in the power industry, there are reports that insulation performance of transmission line insulators is affected due to icing in the atmospheric environment, resulting in incalculable economic losses.
Numerous studies have reported that a significant reduction in ice adhesion can be achieved on superhydrophobic surfaces, which helps with ice detachment.
Among these methods, plasma technology has been proven to be a very promising treatment method, which utilizes gas discharge to produce highly reactive plasma substances to change the chemical composition and morphology of various matrices. Atmospheric pressure plasma, as one of the various plasma sources used for preparing superhydrophobic surfaces, has been widely studied due to its no need for expensive vacuum systems with low-pressure plasma, convenient operation, fast processing, and benefits for large-scale practical production.