The Enhanced Hydrophobic, Photothermal, and Anti-Icing/Ice-Melting Performance of C/TiN/WC/PDMS Composite Coating by Inserting a Thermal Insulation Layer

Enhancing the hydrophobic and photothermal characteristics of the coating can significantly boost its anti-icing/ice-melting capabilities. In this study, an epoxy resin thermal insulation layer is interposed between the aluminum sheet substrate and the C/TiN/WC/PDMS photothermal composite coating. This method not only equips the coating with exceptional superhydrophobic properties but also markedly elevates its photothermal and anti-icing/ice-melting performance. The incorporation of the thermal insulation layer has been observed to elevate the water contact angle from approximately 125° to 155° ± 0.5° while simultaneously reducing the water sliding angle from over 90° to about 4° ± 0.5°. In an environmental setting of −15 °C and 65% ± 5% humidity, under irradiation of 1.0, 0.7, 0.5, and 0.3 kW/m², the coating with the thermal insulation layer exhibited saturation temperature increments of roughly 4.7, 3.4, 5.4, and 4.6 °C, respectively, compared to the photothermal coating without the insulation layer. In the absence of irradiation, the coating with the insulation layer delayed the freezing time of 80 μL water droplets by up to three and six times compared to the coating without an insulation layer and the bare aluminum sheet substrate, respectively. Furthermore, under 0.3 kW/m² irradiation, the coating with the insulation layer reduced the initial melting time and complete melting time of ice beads by nearly half and one-third, respectively, whereas the ice beads on the aluminum sheet substrate remained unmelted throughout the observation period.