Design of superhydrophobic coatings fabricated by spraying for anti-icing

Abstract

The icing of transmission lines has a serious impact on people’s lives and disrupts the secure and steady functioning of the power grid, causing huge economic losses. To retard the icing of transmission line glass insulators, we prepared coatings on a glass slide by spraying using epoxy resin, fluorosilicone resin, and hydrophobic silicon dioxide (SiO2). The study examined the microscopical morphology, wetting behaviour, and anti-icing and self-cleaning characteristics of coatings containing various SiO2 mass fractions. The findings indicated that the SiO2 mass fraction notably impacted the micro-nanostructure, anti-wettability, and anti-icing performance of coatings. In addition, the largest contact angle (168.2°), the smallest sliding angle (2.6°), and the longest freezing time (181.7 s) were measured for the superhydrophobic coating with SiO2 mass fraction of 34%, which was attributed to the most uniform microstructure. The superhydrophobic coatings fabricated through spraying exhibited good anti-icing and self-cleaning properties. This facilitates the anti-icing and anti-fouling of transmission line glass insulators.