Durable superhydrophobic MWCNT/CNF composite coatings fabricated via supercritical fluid processing for anti-icing applications

The longevity of superhydrophobic anti-icing coatings is often plagued by mechanical wear, which causes degradation and reduces ice-phobic properties. In this research, a supercritical fluid (SCF)-assisted fabrication method is used to create a hierarchically structured multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) and carbon nanofiber (CNFs) composite coating with enhanced nanofiller dispersion and interface stability. The SCF method enables the creation of a strong and networked micro/nano carbon structure, achieving high superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 163.2° and a sliding angle of 5.2°. Quantitative shear tests at −20 °C show an extremely low ice adhesion strength of 32 ± 6 kPa, which is greater than a 90% reduction compared to the pristine FRP substrates. Importantly, after block-on-ring abrasive wear tests, the coating maintains a contact angle of 147.2° and a low ice adhesion strength of about 41 kPa, demonstrating durability-coupled ice-phobic properties. Surface topography analysis, roughness measurements, and Raman spectroscopy (I D /I G = 0.824) confirm the sustained hierarchical architecture and graphitic structure. These results collectively provide a scalable SCF-enabled materials design platform for developing mechanically durable anti-icing coatings with high potential for advanced structural and energy applications.