Mechanically robust superhydrophobic (SHP) and icephobic performances are highly needed for an anti-icing surface in practical applications. Here, a SHP coating is prepared on the aluminium (Al) substrate using hydrothermal reaction and subsequent modification of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, showing a water contact angle larger than 158° and a sliding angle (SA) less than 5°. This SHP coating displays a robust hydrophobic performance in acidic or alkaline solutions, after sand abrasion and consecutive icing/deicing cycles. It largely reduces ice adhesive strength and delays starting icing time on Al. Therefore, this work may shine some light in engineering aluminium-based materials to avoid ice accumulation.

Superhydrophobic (SHP) coatings have been reported with many promising applications using various nano-micro structures with surfactants of low surface energies. However, many SHP coatings have poor durability, largely limiting their practical importance. In this study, a durable SHP coating is demonstrated with a novel veil-over-sprout micro-nano structure of silica nano particles (SNP) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). This coating displays a large water contact angle (WCA) of 168.0° and a small sliding angle (SA) of less than 1.0°. Excellent abrasion resistance is demonstrated with excellent superhydrophobicity (WCA = 159.0°) after consecutive tests with sandpaper, high-density water flow and fine sand impact. An excellent self-healing function has been achieved with this SHP coating after stored at room temperature, recovering its remarkable superhydrophobicity. Outstanding resistance against ice formation is exhibited with the starting-freezing time at −20 ℃ three times longer than uncoated surface. Strong resistance to acid and base attacks is observed even after a week of immersion in highly acidic and alkaline environments (pH 1.0–14.0), without much degradation of SHP performance. Efficiency of up to 99.9% is demonstrated in corrosion protection in a solution with pH = 10.0 to extend the life of the metal. In addition, remarkable SHP durability is demonstrated after long-term outdoor exposure. Therefore, this work has shown off a promising methods for SHP coatings towards future practical applications.

An effective superhydrophobic and self-healing coating is fabricated on building materials. This coating can restore its properties at room temperature after being damaged by rubber or acid. The coating can not only be directly applied on different substrates, but also be used for anti-corrosion. The corrosion current of the coated iron plate is reduced by 57.1%, and the corrosion potential is increased by 3.9%. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-performance, broadband antireflective (AR) and superhydrophobic coatings are fabricated on glass through deposition of silica nanoparticles with spin coating method, followed by calcination and hydrophobic modification. Silica particles with unique porous structures not only increase the roughness of the coating, but also enhance the transmittance of the glass. The coated glass has displayed a large transmittance of 99% at wavelength of 580 nm, an absolute transmittance increase by 6% or more in the wavelength range of 480-900 nm, and an excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle (WCA) of 147 degrees and a sliding angle < 10 degrees. As a result, this coating effectively improves the short-circuit current density from 13.27 to 14.17 mA/cm(2) and the conversion efficiency from 6.03 to 6.64% for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), with a 10.12% improvement. This work thus has shown a promising approach to enhance the performance of solar cells with broadband antireflective coating surfaces. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.