Super-hydrophobic and photo-thermal anti-icing coatings comprising small-quantity tungsten carbide with liquid repellency, self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties

Surface icing and fouling pose a substantial threat to marine facilities. Herein, anti-icing coating composites (F/S-WC-n%/F) with high photo-thermal conversion efficiencies were prepared by spraying a small amount of super-hydrophobic tungsten carbide on fluoro-olefin vinyl ether copolymer (FEVE) at a specific pressure. The photo-thermal properties of the coatings provide them with ice melting and sterilization effects. The delayed icing time of F/S-WC-5%/F is 571 s, with the ice-covered-surface temperature increasing to 42 °C after exposure to simulated sunlight. Heat transfer modelling calculations show that icing needs to overcome high Gibbs free energy on F/S-WC-5%/F. Quantum chemistry fundamentally reveals a weak thermodynamic effect of water nucleation on F/S-WC-5%/F, indicating that the icing process requires a high degree of sub-cooling, resulting in delayed icing. In addition, F/S-WC-5%/F can resist different types of fouling and exhibit sterilization activity. Using F/S-WC-5%/F, Escherichia coli germs are killed via heat-induced morphological rupture under a solar simulator. Owing to its excellent environmental versatility, sustainability, mechanical durability and material adaptability, F/S-WC-5%/F is a promising anti-icing and anti-fouling candidate for various practical applications, even in harsh environments.