A Robust Photothermal Coating Strategy for Efficient Ice Removal.

Preventing ice formation and ice swift removal from solid surface are essential in numerous application fields. Superhydrophobic coating is an effective way to delay icing phenomenon. But the superhydrophobic coating was wetted easily after icing-deicing cycles that led to the failure of anti-icing. In this study, a robust, amphiphobic coating consisted of fluorinated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) and commercial polyurethane (PU) was constructed by simply spray process. Due to the addition of FMWCNTs, the coating demonstrated the good amphiphobic feature and high efficient photothermal conversion, which endowed the coating surface with excellent deicing and defrosting characteristics under sunlight irradiation. In addition, self-cleaning and self-healing properties of the coating under sunlight ensured its efficient photothermal conversion and long service life. To further improve photothermal deicing effect, a coating system containing photothermal layer (P), thermal conductive layer (C), and thermal-protective layer (P) was constructed. The heat generating from photothermal layer can transfer the whole coating surface by conductive layer, but be limited transmit to substrate materials by thermal-protective layer. The coating system can still deice and defrost rapidly on whole surface only a small portion of photothermal coating irradiated under extremely low temperature. The outdoor experiment has confirmed the coating melted and removed snow rapidly in winter environment. The multifunctional photothermal deicing coating may have a wide application in outdoor surrounding.