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22 pages, 16513 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Superhydrophobic, Drag-Reducing and Anti-Icing Properties of Swimming Goggles

by Junyi Ding, Haiqi Lin, Xubin Guo, Guangfei Wang, Yangyang Jia and Lu Tang

Coatings 2025, 15(6), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060664 - 30 May 2025

Viewed by 321

Swimming goggles still face numerous challenges in practical use, including deterioration and failure of anti-fog coatings, residual water marks on lens surfaces, and relatively short service life in complex environments. When swimming outdoors during winter, goggles also present an icing problem. To address [...] Read more.

Swimming goggles still face numerous challenges in practical use, including deterioration and failure of anti-fog coatings, residual water marks on lens surfaces, and relatively short service life in complex environments. When swimming outdoors during winter, goggles also present an icing problem. To address these problems and enhance the performance of swimming goggles, this study employs a combination of plasma cleaning and mechanical spraying methods, utilizing HB-139 SiO₂ to modify the surface of goggle lenses, thereby fabricating lenses with superhydrophobic properties. The changes in lens surfaces before and after friction and immersion treatments were characterized using three-dimensional profilometry and scanning electron microscopy, further investigating the hydrophobic, drag-reducing, wear-resistant, and anti-icing properties of the lenses. Experimental results demonstrate that SiO₂ can enhance the hydrophobic, drag-reducing, durability, and anti-icing performance of the lenses. Under standard conditions, the contact angle of modified samples reached 162.33 ± 3.15°, representing a 48.77 ± 2.15% improvement over original samples. Under friction conditions, modified samples exhibited a 45.86 ± 2.53% increase in contact angle compared to original samples, with Sa values decreasing by 58.64 ± 3.21%. Under immersion conditions, modified samples showed a 54.37 ± 2.44% increase in contact angle relative to original samples. The modified samples demonstrated excellent droplet bouncing performance at temperatures of −10 °C, 10 °C, and 30 °C. De-icing efficiency improved by 14.94 ± 2.37%. Throughout the experimental process, SiO₂ demonstrated exceptional hydrophobic, drag-reducing, durability, and anti-icing capabilities. This establishes a robust foundation for the exemplary performance of swimming goggles in both training and competitive contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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16 pages, 2796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Icephobic Properties of Superhydrophobic Coatings Developed for Aeronautical Applications

by Filomena Piscitelli, Matteo Fanciullo, Antonella Sarcinella, Mario Costantini and Mariaenrica Frigione

Coatings 2025, 15(6), 621; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060621 - 22 May 2025

Viewed by 356

Abstract

Ice accumulation poses a significant hazard to aviation safety, particularly in cold weather conditions, as it can compromise aerodynamic performance, increase structural weight, and diminish lift, occasionally resulting in severe stall incidents. At present, such risks are managed through the use of energy-demanding [...] Read more.

Ice accumulation poses a significant hazard to aviation safety, particularly in cold weather conditions, as it can compromise aerodynamic performance, increase structural weight, and diminish lift, occasionally resulting in severe stall incidents. At present, such risks are managed through the use of energy-demanding active ice protection systems (IPSs), which operate either by inhibiting ice formation (anti-icing) or by removing existing ice (de-icing). Nonetheless, in the context of future sustainable aviation, there is a pressing need to develop IPSs with lower energy requirements. A promising approach involves hybrid IPSs that integrate conventional active systems with passive superhydrophobic or icephobic surface treatments, which are capable of preventing, delaying, or minimizing ice buildup. These systems offer the potential to substantially decrease the energy consumption and consequently the CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, in accordance with FAA regulations, active IPSs are not permitted to operate during takeoff and initial flight stages to prevent any reduction in engine thrust. These two reasons emphasize the critical importance of developing efficient coatings that, on the one hand, promote the mobility of water droplets, hereby preventing ice formation, as achieved by superhydrophobic surfaces, and on the other hand, facilitate ice detachment, as required for icephobic performance. In this context, the primary objective of the present work is to emphasize the icephobic properties of two superhydrophobic coatings. To achieve this, an extensive characterization is first conducted, including wettability, Surface Free Energy (SFE), and surface roughness, to confirm their superhydrophobic nature. This is followed by an assessment of their icephobic performance, specifically in terms of ice adhesion strength, with comparisons made against a commercial aeronautical coating. The results revealed a significant reduction in both the wettability and SFE of the developed coatings compared to the reference, along with a marked decrease in ice adhesion strength, thereby demonstrating their icephobic properties. Future activities will focus on the combination of coatings with active IPS in order to assess the energy efficiency under extensive icing conditions where both superhydrophobic and icephobic properties are required. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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12 pages, 2235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Anisotropic Microstructures on the Ice Adhesion Performance of Rubber Surfaces

by Fangyuan Zhang, Xiaosen Wang, Shilin Zhang, Xiaoqing Cao, Qiang He and Lu Li

Coatings 2025, 15(5), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15050612 - 21 May 2025

Viewed by 320

Abstract

Anti-icing and de-icing technologies are crucial in modern aviation, with optimising ice adhesion performance on material surfaces being a key challenge. This study proposes a straightforward method for fabricating hydrophobic silicone rubber surfaces using a mesh to construct microstructures. The influence of microstructure [...] Read more.

Anti-icing and de-icing technologies are crucial in modern aviation, with optimising ice adhesion performance on material surfaces being a key challenge. This study proposes a straightforward method for fabricating hydrophobic silicone rubber surfaces using a mesh to construct microstructures. The influence of microstructure size and anisotropy on surface wettability and ice adhesion performance is systematically investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that introducing microstructures significantly enhances the hydrophobicity of silicone rubber surfaces, achieving a maximum static contact angle of 149.3 ± 1.3°. For microstructures with identical shapes, dimensional variations affect surface roughness and functional performance. Although the structure with the most significant dimension (600#-SR) exhibits the highest surface roughness, smaller structures (e.g., 1400#-SR) demonstrate superior hydrophobicity and lower ice adhesion strength, likely due to enhanced air entrapment and reduced effective solid–liquid and solid–ice contact areas. Furthermore, due to anisotropic microstructures, a marked directional difference in ice adhesion strength is observed: the lowest strength in the X direction is 38.6 kPa, compared to 63.3 kPa in the Y direction. Fine-tuning the size and configuration of microstructures effectively minimises the ice adhesion strength and enables targeted optimisation of surface properties. This research offers theoretical support for developing innovative, energy-efficient materials with superior anti-icing properties and provides new insights for crafting solutions tailored to various anti-icing needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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15 pages, 4939 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Icing and Adhesive Characteristics of Iced Airfoils Under Rime Ice Conditions

by Weihan Shi, Sicheng Shen, Guoan Hou, Juan Ding, Wenfeng Guo and Yingwei Zhang

Coatings 2025, 15(5), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15050606 - 19 May 2025

Viewed by 282

Abstract

Airfoils are widely used in the fields of aviation and wind power generation. Icing changes the profile of an airfoil and degrades its aerodynamic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the icing of airfoils and the adhesive characteristics of the ice formed [...] Read more.

Airfoils are widely used in the fields of aviation and wind power generation. Icing changes the profile of an airfoil and degrades its aerodynamic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the icing of airfoils and the adhesive characteristics of the ice formed in order to explore their de-icing. In the present study, this is accomplished for the NACA0018 and S809 airfoils through measurement of the areas, thicknesses, and adhesive strength of the ice formed under different wind speeds. The iced area increased linearly with the icing time. The area on the S809 airfoil covered with ice was larger than that on the NACA0018 airfoil because of the maximum thickness of the airfoil profile, the distribution of surface pressures, and the flow state of the air. The effects of wind speed on the adhesive strengths of the ice formed on both airfoils were then explored. The adhesive strength of ice on the NACA0018 airfoil increased with the wind speed, while the wind speed had a minor effect on the ice on the S809 airfoil. These findings provide a foundation for the in-depth exploration of de-icing technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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12 pages, 9204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient and Controllable Preparation of Super-Hydrophobic Alumina-Based Ceramics Coating on Aviation Al-Li Alloy Surface for Corrosion Resistance and Anti-Icing Behavior

by Ben Li and Xuewu Li

Coatings 2024, 14(9), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14091223 - 22 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1575

Abstract

Al-Li alloys have been widely applied in aircraft structural component and shell material. However, Al-Li alloys are prone to corrosion failure, which leads to a considerable safety risk in the aerospace field and greatly limits their industrial application. Herein, a simple, low-cost, and [...] Read more.

Al-Li alloys have been widely applied in aircraft structural component and shell material. However, Al-Li alloys are prone to corrosion failure, which leads to a considerable safety risk in the aerospace field and greatly limits their industrial application. Herein, a simple, low-cost, and large-scale air-spraying technique is developed for the preparation of an alumina-based ceramics coating with enhanced corrosion resistance and anti-icing behavior. The results show that the static contact angle of the as-prepared coating is 157.2 ± 0.4°, and the rolling angle is only 9.8°, suggesting a super-hydrophobic surface. Meanwhile, the electrochemical corrosion potential of the coating is 70 mV higher than that of the substrate, and the corrosion current density of the coating also decreases by 1 order of magnitude, indicating a significantly improved corrosion resistance. In addition, the fabricated super-hydrophobic coating also shows excellent anti-pollution and anti-icing characteristics. This work provides positive guidance for expanding the application of hydrophobic coating in the aerospace industry, especially in some complex corrosion, icing, and pollution environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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14 pages, 9812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

One-Step Fabrication of Composite Hydrophobic Electrically Heated Graphene Surface

by Mian Zhong, Shichen Li, Hongyun Fan, Huazhong Zhang, Yong Jiang, Jinling Luo and Liang Yang

Coatings 2024, 14(8), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14081052 - 17 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1366

Abstract

Ice accumulation poses considerable challenges in transportation, notably in the domain of general aviation. The present study combines the strengths and limitations of conventional aircraft deicing techniques with the emerging trend toward all-electric aircraft. This study aims to utilize laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology [...] Read more.

Ice accumulation poses considerable challenges in transportation, notably in the domain of general aviation. The present study combines the strengths and limitations of conventional aircraft deicing techniques with the emerging trend toward all-electric aircraft. This study aims to utilize laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology to create a multifunctional surface, seamlessly integrating hydrophobic properties with efficient electrical heating to mitigate surface icing effectively. We investigated the utilization of a 10.6 μm CO₂ laser for direct writing on polyimide (PI), a widely used insulating encapsulation material. From the thermomechanical perspective, our initial analysis using COMSOL Multiphysics software (V5.6) revealed that when the laser power P exceeds 5 W, the PI substrate experiences ablative damage. The experimental results show that when P ≤ 5 W, an increase in power has a positive impact on the quality, surface porosity, roughness reduction, line-spacing reduction, and water contact-angle enhancement of the graphene. Conversely, when P > 5 W, higher power negatively affects both the substrate and the graphene structure by inducing excessive ablation. However, it influences the graphene line height positively and is consistent with overall experimental–simulation congruence. Furthermore, the incorporation of high-quality graphene resulted in a surface that exhibited higher contact angles (CA > 120°), lower energy consumption, and higher heating efficiency compared to the use of traditional electrically heated materials for anti-icing applications. The potential applications of this one-step fabrication method extend across various industries, particularly aviation, marine engineering, and other ice-prone domains. Moreover, the method has extensive prospects for addressing pivotal challenges associated with ice formation and serves as an innovative and efficient anti-icing technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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28 pages, 11580 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Durable and High-Temperature-Resistant Superhydrophobic Diatomite Coatings for Cooling Applications

by José Pereira, Reinaldo Souza, António Moreira and Ana Moita

Coatings 2024, 14(7), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14070805 - 28 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2195

Abstract

The present work is aimed at the development of superhydrophobic coatings and surfaces with enhanced robustness and boiling temperature resistance. We will address the synthesis method of the coatings, which was based on the preparation of a composite of silanized diatomite particles embedded [...] Read more.

The present work is aimed at the development of superhydrophobic coatings and surfaces with enhanced robustness and boiling temperature resistance. We will address the synthesis method of the coatings, which was based on the preparation of a composite of silanized diatomite particles embedded in epoxy resin. After the synthesis of the composite solution, it was applied by dip-coating in stainless steel substrates and submitted to a post-treatment cure in an oven. The method proved to be a comparatively fast and simple one. Then, the substrate/coating sets were characterized using different techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and their water contact angle and roughness were measured. Apart from this, the physical and chemical robustness of the sets was also tested using diverse resistance tests like adhesion strength, abrasion resistance, resistance to strong acids and bases, and resistance to boiling water. The main results are that we obtained robust coatings, with wettability defined by water contact angles above 150°. Also, the synthesized coatings revealed good resistance to boiling water, as their properties were almost unchanged after the completion of a long period of tests. The characterization of the produced coatings suggested their propensity to be explored for use in water boiling surfaces and interfaces for cooling purposes in boiling heat transfer systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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17 pages, 9379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility Study on Biodegradable Black Paper-Based Film Solidified Using Cooked Tung Oil

by Yi Wu, Yicheng Shi, Yudie Zhao and Yu Yin

Coatings 2024, 14(3), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14030284 - 26 Feb 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1543

Abstract

New biodegradable paper-based films are a hot research topic in the development of green agriculture. In this study, a black paper-based film coated with cooked tung oil with excellent mechanical properties, a hydrophobic surface, high heat transfer and strong weather resistance was prepared [...] Read more.

New biodegradable paper-based films are a hot research topic in the development of green agriculture. In this study, a black paper-based film coated with cooked tung oil with excellent mechanical properties, a hydrophobic surface, high heat transfer and strong weather resistance was prepared by spraying high-pigment carbon black solution on the surface of base paper. The results showed that the surface-solidified oil film had a rough structure produced via the brush coating process using cooked tung oil. The base film of the black paper had a given hydrophobic structure, and the contact angle reached 98.9°. Cooked tung oil permeates into the inside of the paper base, and after curing, it forms a multi-dimensional network film structure. The maximum tensile stress of the black paper base film is about 123% higher than that of the original paper base film. The coloring of carbon black gives the black paper base film a heat conduction effect, and the average heat transfer rate reaches 15.12 °C/s. Cooked tung oil is combined with the paper-based fiber high-toughness layer to form a stable system. The existence of a cured film improves the basic mechanics and hydrophobicity, and the resistance to ultraviolet radiation and hot air is greatly improved. This study provides a feasible scheme for the application of a black paper base film coated with cooked tung oil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress and Application of Super-hydrophobic Anti-icing Surface)

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