Vazirinasab E, Maghsoudi K, Momen G, Jafari R
Department of Applied Sciences, University of Québec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), 555, boul. de l'université, Chicoutimi, Québec, G7H 2B1, Canada.
Soft Matter. 2022 Jan 5;18(2):412-424. doi: 10.1039/d1sm01399h.
To address the increase in demand for superhydrophobic and icephobic surfaces with greater mechanical robustness, we fabricated damage-tolerant, abrasion-insensitive, and icephobic superhydrophobic bulk nanocomposites using a facile, cost-effective, industrially applicable, and environmentally benign strategy. We prepared nanocomposites composed of high-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber through the highly controlled incorporation of nanosized fumed silica and microsized aluminum trihydrate particles. The produced nanocomposites did not require additional processing, such as sand abrasion or plasma treatment, to acquire their superhydrophobic properties. The extended roughness throughout the whole bulk of the nanocomposites imparted the volumetric superhydrophobicity and resistance to mechanical damage. The presence of micro-nanoparticles also enhanced the thermal stability and icephobic properties of the silicone rubber. The icephobic behavior of the developed nanocomposites was assessed based on freezing delay and push-off tests both of which denoted improved icephobic properties, , high freezing delay time and low ice adhesion strength. We verified the extended duration of superhydrophobicity within the bulk nanocomposite using sandpaper abrasion, severe cutter scratching, tape peeling, and water-jet impacts. This study represents the first evaluation, to the best of our knowledge, of the icephobic properties of both the surface and bulk of the produced nanocomposite subjected to several cycles of sandpaper abrasion. Interestingly, even after multiple abrasion cycles, the samples demonstrated considerably low ice adhesion strength confirming their bulk icephobicity. In a nutshell, our findings are very promising for the fabrication of mechanically robust icephobic materials.
为了满足对具有更高机械强度的超疏水和疏冰表面需求的增长，我们采用一种简便、经济高效、适用于工业且环境友好的策略，制备了具有损伤耐受性、耐磨性和疏冰性能的超疏水块状纳米复合材料。我们通过高度可控地引入纳米级气相二氧化硅和微米级三水合铝颗粒，制备了由高温硫化硅橡胶组成的纳米复合材料。所制备的纳米复合材料无需额外的处理，如砂纸打磨或等离子体处理，即可获得其超疏水性能。纳米复合材料整个块状结构中扩展的粗糙度赋予了其体积超疏水性和抗机械损伤能力。微纳米颗粒的存在还增强了硅橡胶的热稳定性和疏冰性能。基于冻结延迟和推离测试评估了所开发纳米复合材料的疏冰行为，这两项测试均表明其具有改善的疏冰性能，即高冻结延迟时间和低冰附着力。我们使用砂纸打磨、刀具剧烈刮擦、胶带剥离和水射流冲击等方法，验证了块状纳米复合材料中超疏水性能的延长持续时间。据我们所知，本研究首次评估了经过多次砂纸打磨循环的所制备纳米复合材料表面和块状结构的疏冰性能。有趣的是，即使经过多次磨损循环，样品仍表现出相当低的冰附着力，证实了其块状疏冰性。简而言之，我们的研究结果对于制备机械坚固的疏冰材料非常有前景。
