Research on Anti-Icing Performance of Graphene Photothermal Superhydrophobic Surface for Wind Turbine Blades

In this study, graphene is used as a photothermal material, which is added to the SiO2 superhydrophobic solution treated with fluorine silane, and then sprayed on the copper plate surface to prepare a new type of photothermal superhydrophobic surface with contact angles up to 160.5° and 159.8°. Under the conditions of natural convection, the effects of photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces on droplet condensation, freezing, and frost growth are investigated in different environments. The results show that the photothermal superhydrophobic surface can not only delay the freezing of surface droplets, prolong the freezing time of droplets, and reduce the thickness of the frost layer, but also allow for the rapid removal of droplets under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. If the droplet is irradiated by an infrared laser emitter while the cooling system is still turned on, the internal temperature of the droplet will always be higher than the crystallization temperature under the illumination intensity of 2 W/cm2, and the droplets will not freeze. With the extension of irradiation time, the droplet will evaporate, and the volume of the droplet will decrease. On the basis of summarizing and evaluating the study on the anti-icing performance of superhydrophobic surfaces and the properties of photothermal materials, a new research direction regarding the anti-icing of fan blade surfaces was established. This kind of surface combines the photothermal capabilities of light absorption materials with the micro- and nanostructure of the superhydrophobic surface to improve the anti-icing capability of wind turbine blade surfaces in difficult conditions.