Full Life Cycle Deicing and Efficient Anti-Icing Surface on Polymers with Triple Thermal Conversion Capability.

Abstract

Photo-/electrothermal superhydrophobic surfaces are promising for anti-icing and deicing, but their deicing ability often degrades with abrasion, thus failing to achieve full life cycle deicing. Herein, a superhydrophobic graphene@NiO/Ni surface on polymers with triple thermal conversion capability for efficient anti-icing/full life cycle deicing is prepared using laser activation, electroless plating, and electroplating. The hierarchical micro/nano structures of the uppermost graphene@NiO endow the surface with excellent hydrophobicity (162.9° ± 2.3°), delayed icing (1377.7 ± 180.3 s), photothermal deicing (150.0 ± 11.5 s), electrothermal deicing (141.3 ± 11.7 s), and mechanical robustness. The presence of the internal Ni layer results in the surface with superior magnetothermal deicing capability (41.0 ± 4.0 s). Importantly, prolonged use or abrasion can destroy the upper graphene@NiO layer, while the inner Ni layer remains unaffected. Consequently, the hydrophobicity and photo-/electrothermal deicing performance of the surface degrade after abrasion, but the magnetothermal deicing capability is enhanced. Employing different deicing methods at various stages endows the graphene@NiO/Ni surface with full life cycle deicing capability. The graphene@NiO/Ni surface is patternable, scalable, and compatible with various substrates, demonstrating successful applications in roofs and transmission lines. The method provides guidance for the design and preparation of full life cycle deicing materials.