Anti-icing nano SnO2 coated metallic surface wettability: optimization via statistical design

Abstract Super-hydrophobic tin oxide surfaces were fabricated and the anti-icing potential was investigated. The main purpose of the study was the examination of the seed-layer effect on the wettability of the prepared surfaces. The seeding was performed on Al-substrates by dip coating and consequently the common chemical bath deposition method was used for tin oxide deposition. Seed-layers were deposited under different conditions including combinations of some factors such as surfactant type and concentration, deposition cycles, the metallic precursor concentrations. Taguchi L18 design was used for deposited surfaces\u0027 wettability optimization, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses were used for characterization of seed-layers and coated surfaces. Formation of nanostructured seed-layers was illustrated by FE-SEM images. Moreover, a hydrophobic tin oxide surface having the water contact angle (WCA) of 137° was fabricated without any post-treatment step. Finally, the surface chemical modification was carried out by palmitic, lauric, and stearic acids. Accordingly, a superhydrophobic surface (WCA = 157.5° and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) = 2.5°) was achieved as the optimized sample. The anti-icing characteristic of the modified surface was examined and the results proved the success of the process.