Efficient anti-icing/deicing via photothermal-wind synergistic effects on femtosecond laser-induced superhydrophobic graphene

Abstract

Photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces have been demonstrated for anti-icing/deicing applications. However, preparing these materials using simple and environmentally friendly methods remains a challenge. Herein, a high-efficiency energy utilization strategy based on a photothermal-wind synergistic effect combined with superhydrophobicity has been proposed for anti-icing/deicing. Using one-step femtosecond laser direct writing technology, we modified a polyether ether ketone surface, which resulted in a superhydrophobic surface with photothermal effects. The optimized fabrication condition was laser treatment with velocity of 80 mm s⁻¹ (LT-V80), which gave a surface possessing a high water contact angle (∼160.9°) and a low rolling angle (∼3°), and excellent self-cleaning properties were seen. Furthermore, LT-V80 showed high light absorptivity (∼94.6%), which caused the surface temperature to increase by 44.5 °C under 1.0 sun illumination. The addition of wind to the system resulted in a synergistic effect together with the photothermal and superhydrophobic properties, and caused a 87.1% reduction of the deicing time and a 220.3% increase in the icing time. This strategy also demonstrated good deicing efficiency in a cold outdoor environment. An efficient solar energy utilization strategy as demonstrated by LT-V80 indicates that efficient anti-icing/deicing is possible using simple, environmentally friendly, and low cost fabrication methods.