The persistent challenge of ice accretion on critical infrastructure, particularly in outdoor electrical systems like insulators, necessitates the development of robust, passive anti-icing solutions. The work aims to investigate the fabrication and performance of liquid-like nanocoatings designed to address this issue. Through plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), coatings were synthesized from two distinct siloxane precursors: a cyclic siloxane (tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, TMCTS) and a linear siloxane (hexamethyldisiloxane, HMDSO). The synergistic effects of surface chemistry and morphology on liquid repellency, especially the anti-icing performance, were systematically evaluated. Three distinct coatings were engineered: smooth coatings derived solely from HMDSO (denoted H), nano-structured coatings derived solely from TMCTS (denoted T), and composite coatings fabricated via a sequential two-step PECVD process employing both precursors (denoted T/H). This composite approach aimed to leverage the low surface energy conferred by HMDSO-derived groups and the nanostructure-forming capability of TMCTS.
Comprehensive characterizations were performed to investigate the fundamental properties of these coatings. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the expected Si—O—Si network structure and the presence of hydrophobic methyl (—CH3) groups, with only subtle compositional differences observed between the T and T/H coatings. Surface morphology was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing the inherently smooth nature of the H coating, the nanoscale roughness of the T coating and the composite T/H coating. Wettability assessment via static water contact angle (WCA) and water sliding angle (WSA) measurements demonstrated that the composite T/H coating exhibited superior hydrophobicity, achieving a WCA of 151° and an exceptionally low SA of 2°, indicative of a robust Cassie-Baxter state. This performance significantly surpassed the H and T coatings individually, highlighting the critical synergy between surface nanostructure and low surface energy chemistry.
The anti-icing efficacy was evaluated by measuring the freezing delay time for initial ice nucleation and the time for complete freezing of a sessile water droplet, alongside quantitative measurement of ice adhesion strength with a shear force measuring apparatus. The composite T/H coating demonstrated outstanding performance: it delayed the onset of ice nucleation to 240 seconds (representing a 14-fold increase compared to the pristine substrate) and prevented complete freezing for 600 seconds (a 10-fold increase compared to the pristine substrate). Furthermore, it exhibited remarkably low ice adhesion strength, measured at just 23.4 kPa, representing an 89% reduction compared to the untreated substrate's adhesion strength of 217.5 kPa. Both H and T coatings showed inferior anti-icing properties, underscoring the advantage of the composite coating design.
The durability and environmental stability of the T/H composite coating were evaluated by a set of tests, including prolonged immersion in high-temperature water, exposure to concentrated acid (HCl) and base (NaOH) solutions, accelerated UV aging, and mechanical abrasion resistance tests. Results confirmed the coating's excellent stability, with minimal degradation in hydrophobicity or anti-icing performance observed after these tests, indicating strong chemical resistance and mechanical robustness.
In conclusion, a composite T/H nanocoating is successfully fabricated by the two-step PECVD process that synergistically integrates nanoscale topography and low surface energy chemistry. This coating exhibits superhydrophobicity, outstanding anti-icing performance, and compelling durability against thermal, chemical, UV, and mechanical stresses. These attributes suggest the developed T/H composite coating as a promising, practical solution for mitigating hazardous ice accretion on critical components within outdoor power transmission and distribution systems, such as insulators, with potential applicability extending to other sectors like aerospace and wind energy.
Key words
anti-icing /
liquid-like coatings /
superhydrophobic surface /
plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition /
nanostructure /
insulator
{{custom_sec.title}}
{{custom_sec.title}}
{{custom_sec.content}}
References
[1] SHEN Y Z, WU X H, TAO J, et al.Icephobic Materials: Fundamentals, Performance Evaluation, and Applications[J]. Progress in Materials Science, 2019, 103: 509-557.
[2] REKUVIENE R, SAEIDIHARZAND S, MAŽEIKA L, et al. A Review on Passive and Active Anti-Icing and De-Icing Technologies[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2024, 250: 123474.
[3] WU Y L, SHE W, SHI D A, et al.An Extremely Chemical and Mechanically Durable Siloxane Bearing Copolymer Coating with Self-Crosslinkable and Anti-Icing Properties[J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2020, 195: 108031.
[4] ZHAO X, WANG P, ZHANG Q L, et al.A Superhydrophobic and Recyclable Coating with Strong Robustness for Anti-Icing Applications[J]. Advanced Materials Technologies, 2025, 10(12): 2401929.
[5] SHEN Y Z, TAO H J, CHEN S L, et al.Icephobic/ Anti-Icing Potential of Superhydrophobic Ti6Al4V Surfaces with Hierarchical Textures[J]. RSC Advances, 2015, 5(3): 1666-1672.
[6] LI X L, WANG G Y, MOITA A S, et al.Fabrication of Bio-Inspired Non-Fluorinated Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Anti-Icing Property and Its Wettability Transformation Analysis[J]. Applied Surface Science, 2020, 505: 144386.
[7] HE Q, XU Y, ZHANG F Y, et al.Preparation Methods and Research Progress of Super-Hydrophobic Anti-Icing Surface[J]. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2024, 323: 103069.
[8] LIU X Z, LI L X, WANG M, et al.Robust ZIF-8 Based Superhydrophobic Coating with Anti-Icing, Anti-Corrosion, and Substrate Universality[J]. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2025, 144: 679-690.
[9] RODIČ P, MOŽE M, GOLOBIČ I, et al. Functionalisation of the Aluminium Surface by CuCl2 Chemical Etching and Perfluoro Silane Grafting: Enhanced Corrosion Protection and Improved Anti-Icing Behaviour[J]. Metals, 2024, 14(10): 1118.
[10] 闫德峰, 刘子艾, 潘维浩, 等. 多功能超疏水表面的制造和应用研究现状[J]. 表面技术, 2021, 50(5): 1-19.
YAN D F, LIU Z A, PAN W H, et al.Research Status on the Fabrication and Application of Multifunctional Superhydrophobic Surfaces[J]. Surface Technology, 2021, 50(5): 1-19.
[11] JAFARI R, MOMEN G, FARZANEH M.Durability Enhancement of Icephobic Fluoropolymer Film[J]. Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, 2016, 13(3): 405-412.
[12] CHENG X P, ZHAO R, WANG S T, et al.Liquid-Like Surfaces with Enhanced De-Wettability and Durability: From Structural Designs to Potential Applications[J]. Advanced Materials, 2024, 36(38): 2407315.
[13] FAN Y, WU C J, YANG J L, et al.Reducing the Contact Time of Impacting Water Drops on Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Liquid-Like Coatings[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 448: 137638.
[14] LIU M J, WANG S T, JIANG L.Nature-Inspired Superwettability Systems[J]. Nature Reviews Materials, 2017, 2: 17036.
[15] LI S, HOU Y M, KAPPL M, et al.Vapor Lubrication for Reducing Water and Ice Adhesion on Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) Brushes[J]. Advanced Materials, 2022, 34(34): 2203242.
[16] FAN Y, WANG S, HUANG S L, et al.Liquid-Like Surface Chemistry Meets Structured Textures: A Synergistic Approach to Advanced Repellent Materials[J]. ACS Nano, 2025, 19(20): 18929-18946.
[17] FOROUGHI MOBARAKEH L, JAFARI R, FARZANEH M.The Ice Repellency of Plasma Polymerized Hexamethyldisiloxane Coating[J]. Applied Surface Science, 2013, 284: 459-463.
[18] CHEN L W, HUANG S L, RAS R H A, et al. Omniphobic Liquid-Like Surfaces[J]. Nature Reviews Chemistry, 2023, 7(2): 123-137.
[19] DURÁN I R, PROFILI J, STAFFORD L, et al. Response Surface Methodology as a Predictive Tool for the Fabrication of Coatings with Optimal Anti-Fogging Performance[J]. Thin Solid Films, 2021, 718: 138482.
[20] KLEINES L, WILSKI S, ALIZADEH P, et al.Structure and Gas Separation Properties of Ultra-Smooth PE-CVD Silicon Organic Coated Composite Membranes[J]. Surface and Coatings Technology, 2021, 421: 127338.
[21] EGGHE T, GHOBEIRA R, ESBAH TABAEI P S, et al. Silanization of Plasma-Activated Hexamethyldisiloxane- Based Plasma Polymers for Substrate-Independent Deposition of Coatings with Controlled Surface Chemistry[J]. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2022, 14(3): 4620-4636.
[22] ALEXANDER M R, SHORT R D, JONES F R, et al.A Study of HMDSO/O2 Plasma Deposits Using a High- Sensitivity and -Energy Resolution XPS Instrument: Curve Fitting of the Si2 p Core Level[J]. Applied Surface Science, 1999, 137(1/2/3/4): 179-183.
[23] JIANG Y J, WANG C C, LIU Z, et al.Anti-Corrosion and Anti-Fouling Superhydrophobic Silicone Coating with Continuous Micro/Nano Structure[J]. Progress in Organic Coatings, 2024, 188: 108230.
[24] WANG T, FENG H M, CAO L, et al.Mechanism and Design Strategy of Ice-Phobic Surface: A Comprehensive Review[J]. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2025, 341: 103478.
[25] GUO P, ZHENG Y M, WEN M X, et al.Icephobic/Anti- Icing Properties of Micro/Nanostructured Surfaces[J]. Advanced Materials, 2012, 24(19): 2642-2648.
[26] ZHANG C J, PEI K, ZHAO J, et al.Hierarchical Dandelion-Like Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Excellent Stability and Photothermal Performance for Efficient Anti-/Deicing[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 510: 161582.
Funding
State Grid Double Innovation Incubation and Cultivation Fund Project (B711JZ24000J)
PDF(7887 KB)
