Fabrication and properties of PANI-ZnO/SiO ₂ photothermal corrosion-resistant integrated coating on aluminum alloy surfaces

Icing severely damages outdoor equipment, such as power transmission lines and wind turbine blades, posing safety hazards. Utilizing photothermal materials to construct anti-icing coatings is a promising approach. However, existing photothermal hydrophobic coatings suffer from low light absorption efficiency and slow heating rates, limiting their widespread application. Therefore, developing coatings that integrate simple and efficient de-icing and corrosion-resistant functions is urgent. In this study, ZnO-coated SiO₂ particles were synthesized <i>via in situ</i> chemical reactions, and a PANI-ZnO/SiO₂ photothermal corrosion-resistant integrated composite coating was constructed on the surface of aluminum alloy. Results showed that the obtained PZS-1.0 coating had a three-dimensional coral-like network structure. Under sunlight, the photothermal composite coating achieved a temperature rise (Δ<i>T</i>) of 74 °C within 90 seconds. Notably, due to the synergistic photothermal effect of ZnO and PANI, the bottom of a completely frozen droplet was initiated to melt within 20 seconds and fully melted within 80 seconds, with the surface temperature reaching 17.8 °C. Importantly, excellent corrosion resistance was demonstrated by the coating, with a self-corrosion potential (<i>E</i> _corr) of -681.07 mV and a maximum polarization resistance of 4307 Ω cm². This photothermal corrosion-resistant integrated coating offers a new solution for the application of aluminum alloy in high-voltage transmission and marine engineering, showing broad application prospects.