Synergistic effect of micro–nano surface structure and surface grafting on the efficient fabrication of durable super-hydrophobic high-density polyethylene with self-cleaning and anti-icing properties

• Surface rough structure of superhydrophobic sheet is fabricated via etching method. • Surface grafting modification further improves the hydrophobicity of the sheet. • The prepared sheet has excellent durable superhydrophobic properties. • The superhydrophobic sheet exhibits good self-cleaning and anti-icing properties. An industrialized polymer molding technology that combines water-soluble etching and surface chemical reactions was proposed for preparing a superhydrophobic high-density polyethylene (H@G-E/HDPE) sheet. HDPE sheets were etched with a saturated aqueous solution of NaF to create a rough surface, after which glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was introduced onto the HDPE surface to create a large number of reactive sites on the inert surface of HDPE, enabling further grafting of a low-surface-energy hydroxyl-terminated fluorosilicone oil (HTFO) onto the HDPE surface. The H@G-E/HDPE sheet exhibited high hydrophobicity, with a water contact angle (WCA) of 158 ± 1° and sliding hysteresis angle (SHA) of 8 ± 1°. The sheet also exhibited good durability, with a WCA greater than 150° after 240 h of strong stirring in water or abrasion with sandpaper for 120 rubs. The H@G-E/HDPE sheet exhibited chemical resistance and maintained super-hydrophobicity even after 24 h of immersion in a strong acid/alkali solution. Furthermore, the super-hydrophobicity of the as-obtained H@G-E/HDPE sheet was maintained upon impact with water droplets at 0.77 m/s, along with low ice adhesion at 11.64 ± 1.74 KPa, a significantly longer icing delay time, and self-cleaning properties. The developed superhydrophobic H@G-E/HDPE sheet featuring low-cost and efficient fabrication has promising applications in many industries, such as pipelines, membranes, packaging, and electronic equipment.