A Superhydrophobic and Recyclable Coating with Strong Robustness for Anti‐Icing Applications
Xiang Zhao, Peng Wang, Qilin Zhang, Ziheng Zheng, Wenjie An, Jiaxuan Zhang, Jun Jia, Wei Duan, Ying Yue
Abstract
Abstract Conventional superhydrophobic coatings frequently incorporate thermosetting resins as substrates, which are challenging to recycle. This study explores the application of ester‐exchange degradable 4,5‐Epoxyhexane‐1,2‐dicarboxylic glycidyl ester (DGEAC) combined with structurally engineered and perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) modified carbon black@silica (CB@SiO 2 ‐POTS) particles to fabricate recyclable superhydrophobic coatings (DGEAC/CB@SiO 2 ‐POTS) using a non‐solvent‐induced phase separation technique. The resulting coatings display superhydrophobic properties, with a contact angle reaching 162.2° ± 1°. The surface exhibits a three‐tier hierarchical micron/micron/nanostructure, imparting remarkable stability as the coating retains its superhydrophobicity after 4000 cm of abrasion with 800‐grit sandpaper under 5 kPa pressure. Furthermore, the coating demonstrates excellent icing delay performance (600 s) and minimal ice adhesion strength (25.7 kPa), along with rapid photothermal de‐icing capability (120 s). The polyester (DGEAC) in the superhydrophobic coating is rapidly degraded within 24 h in the presence of ethylene glycol, which facilitates the release of hydrophobic particles. By filtering out the degraded polyester (DGEAC), the CB@SiO 2 ‐POTS particles are successfully recovered. The coating, re‐prepared from the collected raw materials, maintained its superhydrophobicity over five recycling cycles. This straightforward approach to fabricating and recycling superhydrophobic coatings exhibits notable environmental compatibility and offers a promising reference for advancing the recyclability of superhydrophobic coatings.