Icephobic and superhydrophobic silicone rubber coatings for outdoor insulators

The present study investigates a simple, one-step and low-cost superhydrophobic coating preparation by spray coating a silicone rubber/stearic acid mixture on glass surfaces. A superhydrophobic surface with a static contact angle of about 160º and low contact angle hysteresis was obtained with the rolling-off properties of water drops. It was found that the wettability of the coatings depends on the surface morphology which is governed by the silicone rubber/stearic acid concentration, as well as the spray time and distance. This coating is attractive for the industry because of its simplicity, affordability, and application to existing insulators