Large-area fabrication of a hierarchical coating via a roller painting process toward an efficient, durable and scalable anti-icing surface

A hierarchical coating was fabricated via a roller painting method with a layer of fluorine-modified boron nitride (fBN) nanoparticles buried in a porous network of Al₂O₃ microparticles bridged by a fluorocarbon (FC) resin. The sticky FC resin made the fBN nanoparticles firmly locked in the cavities and this enhanced structural stability of the Al₂O₃-based porous network. This enabled the formation of a superhydrophobic coating with excellent resistance to environmental erosion and high thermal conductivity. The de-icing temperature of this coating was lowered by 22.2 °C in comparison with a conventional superhydrophobic coating. A case study showed a potential of applying this coating onto large-sized uneven surface like turbine blades.