One-step fabrication of superhydrophobic surface on overhead aluminum conductors for anti-icing application

Abstract Icing on overhead aluminum conductors can cause transmission-line failures. A superhydrophobic surface (SHS) has good anti-icing performance. Herein, a fluorine-free SHS was prepared via spray-coating epoxy-resin-based adhesive (EA) and SiO2 nanoparticles. The EA@SiO2 surface has a contact angle of 155.9° and a sliding angle of less than 4°. Compared with an aluminum surface, the EA@SiO2 surface shows good anti-icing performance, with the icing time rising from 114 to 576 s at −10 °C and the ice-adhesion strength lowering to 52.2 kPa. Additionally, the simulated ice-covering experiment exhibits that the EA@SiO2 surface obviously reduces the ice accretion. Therefore, the as-prepared EA@SiO2 surface has great anti-icing application potential for transmission lines.