Anti-icing and weatherability study of superhydrophobic titanium metal matrix composites surface

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces have received much attention from academia and industry for their promising applications, which can significantly expand the comprehensive performance of composite materials. Thus, this paper demonstrated a low-cost and simple method to fabricate arrays of micro−/nano-structure surfaces similar to rice leaves through laser micro texturing, modified with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to produce physicochemically coupling texture hydrophobic surfaces, and then investigate the surface's resistance to ice and weathering under environmental damage. After tens of circulating for coagulation and thawing frost and shocking of water, the surface can remain hydrophobic, while the hydrophobic groups and structures on the surface can remain hydrophobic under hundreds of times of stripping and friction, which shows good weather ability. In summary, a practical reference for titanium metal matrix composite surfaces is provided, realizing superhydrophobicity and ice suppression functions and expanding its scenario applications.