Synergistic thermal-superhydrophobic surfaces for anti-icing and deicing: A comprehensive review

The adhesion and accumulation of ice pose a major risk to infrastructure and personal safety. An emerging strategy combining superhydrophobic surfaces with photothermal/electrothermal elements provides a dual function solution for effectively alleviating ice. In this review, the mechanism of ice nucleation, the design principle of composite coating and the interaction dynamics are systematically summarized. The key performance indicators, including freezing delay time, deicing duration and ice adhesion strength, were strictly checked. The preparation of superhydrophobic coating was divided into three parts. Further, the various micro−/nanostructure surface manufacturing technologies are compared and analyzed, and their respective advantages and limitations are summarized. Low-surface-energy modifiers are classified by functional groups. Their characteristics and effects on surface superhydrophobicity are discussed in detail. Finally, the working principle, efficacy and limitations of representative photothermal and electrothermal materials are evaluated. By evaluating the performance of different preparation routes, this review identifies the advantages and disadvantages of existing technologies and highlights continuing practical challenges, such as environmental durability, mechanical robustness, and scalable manufacturing. Finally, the future research directions are proposed, focusing on improving long-term stability, integrating stimulus response ability and promoting sustainable material design. This review aims to provide comprehensive theoretical insights and practical technical guidance for the development of high-performance anti−/deicing coatings suitable for practical engineering applications. • Reviewed design principles, ice-formation mechanisms, and anti−/deicing strategies. • Compared micro- and nano-fabrication methods for icephobic surfaces. • Categorized low-surface-energy modifiers by their functional groups. • Evaluated photothermal/electrothermal materials and benchmarked coatings. • Outlined current challenges and future research directions.