Flexible, Biodegradable Superhydrophobic Paper with Excellent Photothermal Performance for Anti‐Icing/De‐Icing and Thermoelectric Power Generation

ABSTRACT The icing phenomenon causes great harm to the economy, industrial production, and public safety. Although photothermal superhydrophobic materials are recognized as promising solutions for anti‐icing/de‐icing, the prevalent use of non‐biodegradable materials poses significant challenges to sustainable anti‐icing applications. This study develops an eco‐friendly photothermal superhydrophobic paper modified by polydopamine (PDA) and octadecylamine (ODA), with a water contact angle of 160.5°. Its delayed icing times of a 10 µL droplet at −20°C, −15°C, and −10°C are 222, 521, and 756 s, respectively. Based on the excellent photothermal performance, the temperature of the superhydrophobic paper increases to 79.9°C under 1 kW·m −2 sunlight irradiation. It exhibits outstanding photothermal de‐icing capabilities, completely melting the ice particle (10 µL) within 224 s at −10°C (sunlight, 1 kW·m −2 ) and 30 s at −20°C (near‐infrared light, 1 W·cm −2 ). Furthermore, the photothermal effect enables energy conversion via a thermoelectric (TE) module, generating an open‐circuit voltage of 147 mV, a short‐circuit current of 38.5 mA, and an output power density of 88.125 µW·cm −2 under 1 kW·m −2 sunlight irradiation. This flexible, biodegradable photothermal superhydrophobic paper has potential applications in anti‐icing/de‐icing and thermoelectric power generation in harsh environments.