Photothermal superhydrophobic foam with ‘cage’ characteristic shows excellent weak-light deicing and durable superhydrophobicity

Icing on solid surfaces causes much disturbance to human life. Photothermal superhydrophobic anti-icing/deicing surfaces have been widely studied due to the advantages of energy-free and environmentally friendly. However, photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces with weak-light anti-icing/deicing capability and mechanical durability still need to be developed urgently. In this work, we have developed a fluorine-free, mechanically stable, weak-light usable photothermal superhydrophobic anti-icing foam (PSF) with a "cage-like" structure by using melamine foam (MF) and functionalized SiC particles as raw materials. The prepared PSF was demonstrated to be adequate for anti-icing application, with an ultra-long anti-icing time of 1920 s under a low temperature condition (−15 °C). At the same time, the frozen droplets on the surface can be melted and rolled off in 220 s due to the synergistic effect of light trapping and photothermal conversion. What's more, the surface is able to melt the ice within 7 min even under as low as 0.4 sun. In addition, the PSF shows stable hydrophobicity and anti-icing/deicing ability even after 1 h immersion in strong acid, alkali, and salt solutions. Furthermore, superhydrophobicity and anti-icing/deicing properties are maintained well after abrasion cycles, water impact, and tape peeling tests. This work is significant for the development of mechanically robust, environmentally friendly and efficient anti-icing/deicing materials.