Icing performance of superhydrophobic silicone rubber surfaces by laser texturing

In this paper, the superhydrophobic surfaces of silicone rubber with different microstructure were directly prepared by texturing with a nanosecond fibre laser. The superhydrophobic surfaces have excellent anti-icing performance. Even at 0 °C, the superhydrophobic surface has a contact angle of ∼150° and a rolling-off angle of ∼2.5°. The superhydrophobic silicone rubber surfaces with different microstructures have obvious differences in contact behaviours with water droplets at low temperatures. The surface textured with a laser fluence of 10 J cm⁻² has a larger particle size and more abundant micro-nano particles, which results in a smaller contact area with the water droplet due to greater roughness and root mean square slope. The deeper the small gaps on the superhydrophobic surface, the more time it takes for the change in contact state between the surface and the water droplets. The adhesion strength of the superhydrophobic rubber surfaces with the ice layer were smaller due to the air stored between the surfaces and the ice layer. In particular, the laser textured surface with an laser fluence of 10 J cm⁻² has the lowest ice adhesion strength due to its layered micro-nano composite structure. After 30 cycles of icing and de-icing, the processed silicone rubber surface still retains excellent hydrophobicity. The superhydrophobic silicone rubber surface has important value in anti-icing and anti-pollution applications. (paper)