Synergistic effect of micro–nano surface structure and surface grafting on the efficient fabrication of durable super-hydrophobic high-density polyethylene with self-cleaning and anti-icing properties

[Display omitted] •Surface rough structure of superhydrophobic sheet is fabricated via etching method.•Surface grafting modification further improves the hydrophobicity of the sheet.•The prepared sheet has excellent durable superhydrophobic properties.•The superhydrophobic sheet exhibits good self-cleaning and anti-icing properties. An industrialized polymer molding technology that combines water-soluble etching and surface chemical reactions was proposed for preparing a superhydrophobic high-density polyethylene (H@G-E/HDPE) sheet. HDPE sheets were etched with a saturated aqueous solution of NaF to create a rough surface, after which glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was introduced onto the HDPE surface to create a large number of reactive sites on the inert surface of HDPE, enabling further grafting of a low-surface-energy hydroxyl-terminated fluorosilicone oil (HTFO) onto the HDPE surface. The H@G-E/HDPE sheet exhibited high hydrophobicity, with a water contact angle (WCA) of 158 ± 1° and sliding hysteresis angle (SHA) of 8 ± 1°. The sheet also exhibited good durability, with a WCA greater than 150° after 240 h of strong stirring in water or abrasion with sandpaper for 120 rubs. The H@G-E/HDPE sheet exhibited chemical resistance and maintained super-hydrophobicity even after 24 h of immersion in a strong acid/alkali solution. Furthermore, the super-hydrophobicity of the as-obtained H@G-E/HDPE sheet was maintained upon impact with water droplets at 0.77 m/s, along with low ice adhesion at 11.64 ± 1.74 KPa, a significantly longer icing delay time, and self-cleaning properties. The developed superhydrophobic H@G-E/HDPE sheet featuring low-cost and efficient fabrication has promising applications in many industries, such as pipelines, membranes, packaging, and electronic equipment.