Superhydrophobic Concrete Coating

Ice adhesion cut to 1/10

Simultaneously constructs hierarchical roughness and a low-energy interface, retaining water repellency and icephobicity under freeze–thaw cycling and abrasion.

Lv, You · Shen, Yanjun · Jun, Zuo · Kou, Haibo · Zhang, Anlin · Enze, Ren · Wei, Xin · Kun, Xiao · Chen, Xing · Shi, Bailei · Zhongyi, Li

Construction and Building Materials 2026

Specifications

Contact angle

{'zh': '154.8', 'en': '154.8'} °

Sliding angle

{'zh': '6.1', 'en': '6.1'} °

Ice shear adhesion strength

{'zh': '0.086', 'en': '0.086'} MPa

Advantages

Ice adhesion drops an order of magnitude

The coating reduces the ice–concrete interfacial shear adhesion strength from 0.84 MPa to 0.086 MPa, making ice removal much easier at low temperatures.

Strength survives freeze–thaw cycles

After 60 freeze–thaw cycles, the compressive strength of coated concrete remained 20.89–21.18 MPa, while ordinary concrete had only 8.09–8.74 MPa.

Keeps water repellency after abrasion

The coating maintained good hydrophobic stability under abrasion and scratching, with a contact angle of 154.8° and a sliding angle of 6.1°.

Applications

• cold-region concrete protection：Spraying suppresses moisture ingress and ionic attack, resisting freeze–thaw damage.
• bridge durability：Coated bridge concrete retains strength under deicing salts and freeze–thaw cycles, extending service life.
• anti-icing surfaces：The coating lowers ice adhesion by an order of magnitude, allowing ice to shed under its own weight or light force.
• freeze–thaw resistance：The coating blocks water penetration into concrete, reducing internal damage from freeze–thaw cycles.
• self-cleaning coatings：The superhydrophobic surface causes dust and dirt to roll off with rainwater, keeping the surface clean.