Towards Sustainability: An Eco-Friendly Approach for Durable Anti-Icing Superhydrophobic Surfaces

The growing interest in flexible superhydrophobic surfaces extends beyond various practical applications like solar panels, flexible electronics, etc. This study introduces a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to create a durable, flexible, and optically semi-transparent superhydrophobic film with an extreme anti-icing character. The prestrained polydimethylsiloxane film subjected to biofuel-based flame treatment under controlled conditions induces microwrinkles with a superimposed cluster of nanoparticles while maintaining surface flexibility and transparency. This meticulous process enhances surface roughness, achieving superhydrophobic characteristics (θ > 165˚) with a remarkably low tilting angle (