A simple fabrication of superhydrophobic PVDF/SiO 2 coatings and their anti-icing properties

Superhydrophobic coatings have been regarded as potential promising solutions to many problems, e.g., ice accumulation in the winter seasons. To be practically useful and economically attractive, it is necessary to fabricate such coatings using facile methods, i.e., with minimal steps and low cost. In this work, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/SiO2 coating is successfully prepared with a simple dip coating method. It shows impressive superhydrophobic properties with a large water contact angle (WCA) of 159° and a small sliding angle (SA) of less than 3°. Meanwhile, its superhydrophobic properties are robust in a large temperature range of – 30 to 350 °C and in various environments. Moreover, it shows remarkable anti-icing properties by delaying the freezing time (4 times) and reducing (40%) the adhesion of the ice on the substrate. Therefore, this work has displayed a promising approach for fabricating superhydrophobic coatings towards anti-icing applications.