Fluorine modification on titanium dioxide particles: Improving the anti-icing performance through a very hydrophobic surface

In this study, fluorine modification was successfully conducted on titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ) to enhance the anti-icing property through fabricating a very hydrophobic surface. TiO ₂ was firstly modified with 3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPS) to introduce C[dbnd]C bonds. Then, dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFHMA) monomers were successfully grafted on the TiO ₂ particles via C[dbnd]C bonds introduced by MPS. Herein, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was used as initiator to initiate the reaction. The chemical components of the TiO ₂ particles were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS analysis of fluorine-modified TiO ₂ revealed that the fluorine content reached a peak value of 7.3%, while the water contact angle enhanced to a maximum value of 146°. This water contact angle value of 146° was dramatically increased by 131° in comparison with unmodified TiO ₂ , indicating a very hydrophobic surface. The crystallization temperature of a water droplet on the corresponding fluorine-modified TiO ₂ decreased to −19.4 °C (10.3 °C decrease in comparison with that of a water droplet on unmodified TiO ₂ ). Also, the freezing delay time on the fluorine-modified TiO ₂ is more than 25 min under the testing temperature of −10 °C, exhibiting excellent anti-icing property.