A novel composite film with superhydrophobic graphene for anti-icing/deicing via chemical-assisted magnetically controllable picosecond laser writing

Abstract

Icing affects the safe operation of the aircraft and can also damage other outdoor equipment, causing safety hazards. Passive anti-icing of superhydrophobic surface helps to reduce the energy consumption of active thermal deicing. The magnetically controllable direct laser writing (MDLW) was used to fabricate the micro-scale tapered structure and nano-scale layered structure. The superhydrophobic was enhanced by the chemical modification assisted magnetically controllable direct laser writing (C-MDLW), and the graphene capillaries were wrapped to form nanoscale particles. The different material removal mechanisms during the two laser scans, including photochemical mechanism, photothermal mechanism, and ionizing plasma, were described. The differences in surface morphology and chemical elements were analyzed to illustrate their effects on superhydrophobicity. The 'fog' shaped nano graphene capillary structure and high content of polar molecules result in strong hydrophilicity, while the nano particles and non-polar molecules formed after chemical modification are the key reasons for the transformation into superhydrophobicity. The contact angle of C-MDLW was as high as 163.0°, and the roll-off angle was 1.8°. Droplets at different heights can bounce on surfaces with different inclination angles. Compared with the raw surface, the icing time was delayed by about 29.5 times. Combined with the electric heating film with a good Joule heating effect, the surface temperature increased. Because of the long icing time, the electric energy was saved by about 86 % in the icing and deicing period.