Photothermal superhydrophobic membrane based on breath figure: Anti-icing and deicing

Removing surface ice accumulation on a large scale through solar energy is a promising solution. However, preparing excellent superhydrophobic materials quickly and easily is a challenge. Here, we propose a simple method for preparing superhydrophobic photothermal membranes for anti-icing/deicing. Preparation of porous PMMA membrane as substrate using breath figure. Then, a layer of MWCNTs modified by FAS is sprayed on the surface of the PMMA membrane to obtain a photothermal superhydrophobic membrane. PMMA@MWCNTs membrane has: (1) excellent superhydrophobicity (WCA = 157°, SA ≈ 1.7°); (2) excellent photothermal effect (the surface temperature of the sample quickly reaches 80.9 ℃ within 120 s under one sunlight intensity); and (3) good surface stability. Therefor it is expected to achieve excellent anti-icing and de-icing capabilities outdoors. For example, significantly prolonging the freezing time of water droplets (1175 s), rapid deicing (160 s), defrosting (521 s), and excellent dynamic anti-icing performance（ΔM = 0.0049 g). This study is of great significance for designing a new type of simple and large-area anti-icing membrane, providing the possibility for its application in complex working environments.