A Superhydrophobic and Recyclable Coating with Strong Robustness for Anti-Icing Applications

Abstract

Conventional superhydrophobic coatings frequently incorporate thermosetting resins as substrates, which are challenging to recycle. This study explores the application of ester-exchange degradable 4,5-Epoxyhexane-1,2-dicarboxylic glycidyl ester (DGEAC) combined with structurally engineered and perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) modified carbon black@silica (CB@SiO2-POTS) particles to fabricate recyclable superhydrophobic coatings (DGEAC/CB@SiO2-POTS) using a non-solvent-induced phase separation technique. The resulting coatings display superhydrophobic properties, with a contact angle reaching 162.2° ± 1°. The surface exhibits a three-tier hierarchical micron/micron/nanostructure, imparting remarkable stability as the coating retains its superhydrophobicity after 4000 cm of abrasion with 800-grit sandpaper under 5 kPa pressure. Furthermore, the coating demonstrates excellent icing delay performance (600 s) and minimal ice adhesion strength (25.7 kPa), along with rapid photothermal de-icing capability (120 s). The polyester (DGEAC) in the superhydrophobic coating is rapidly degraded within 24 h in the presence of ethylene glycol, which facilitates the release of hydrophobic particles. By filtering out the degraded polyester (DGEAC), the CB@SiO2-POTS particles are successfully recovered. The coating, re-prepared from the collected raw materials, maintained its superhydrophobicity over five recycling cycles. This straightforward approach to fabricating and recycling superhydrophobic coatings exhibits notable environmental compatibility and offers a promising reference for advancing the recyclability of superhydrophobic coatings.