Does Anti-Condensation coatings guarantee Anti-Icing Properties?

Abstract

To address the issues caused by ice accretion, researchers have made various attempts to obtain anti-icing surfaces, among which superhydrophobic surfaces have been approved to be an ideal candidate for anti-icing applications. Although extensive research has been conducted to date, the relationship between the anti-icing performance and the anti-condensation performance of superhydrophobic surfaces has yet to be investigated. In this study, superhydrophobic coatings with different surface microstructures were prepared. Tuning of surface morphology was conducted by controlling molar ratio of SiO2 nanoparticles and polyester powders. The superhydrophobic coatings with uniform surface microstructures exhibit anti-condensation performance. Superhydrophobic coatings with cavities-pore combined surface structures demonstrated superior anti-icing performance to other coatings. The relationship between the anti-icing and anti-condensation performance was investigated. It is verified that the anti-condensation performance of the superhydrophobic surface do not have a simple correlation with the anti-icing performance. Furthermore, the coatings present oil repellency, durable superhydrophobicity and anti-fouling properties.