Anti-icing performance of ZnO/SiO2/PTFE sandwich-nanostructure superhydrophobic film on glass prepared via RF magnetron sputtering

Ice accumulation on insulators may cause flashover or even blackouts in the power transmission system. In this paper, a ZnO/SiO2/PTFE sandwich-nanostructure superhydrophobic (SHP) film on glass was fabricated via radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The wettability, XRD pattern, surface morphology and chemical composition were analyzed through corresponding methods. The contact angle is up to 167.2° and the sliding angle is less than 1°, attributing to the low surface energy of PTFE and the micro/nano air pockets induced by the rough nanostructures. Only 17.9% of the as-prepared SHP surface was frozen after spraying for 120 min in glaze ice. Moreover, the corrosion resistance and insulating property of the as-prepared SHP were significantly enhanced mainly owing to the addition of SiO2 middle layer. This method provides a new idea to design an anti-icing surface on glass insulators.