Formation, adhesion, and accumulation of ice, snow, frost, glaze, rime, or their mixtures can cause severe problems for solar panels, wind turbines, aircrafts, heat pumps, power lines, telecommunication equipment, and submarines. These problems can decrease efficiency in power generation, increase energy consumption, result in mechanical and/or electrical failure, and generate safety hazards. To address these issues, the fundamentals of interfaces between liquids and surfaces at low temperatures have been extensively studied. This has lead to development of so called "icephobic" surfaces, which possess a number of overlapping, yet distinctive, characteristics from superhydrophobic surfaces. Less attention has been given to distinguishing differences between formation and adhesion of ice, snow, glaze, rime, and frost or to developing a clear definition for icephobic, or more correctly pagophobic, surfaces. In this review, we strive to clarify these differences and distinctions, while providing a comprehensive definition of icephobicity. We classify different canonical families of icephobic (pagophobic) surfaces providing a review of those with potential for scalable and robust development.

Atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) of tungsten selenide films on glass substrates was achieved by reaction of diethyl selenide with WCl 6 at 500-650 uC. X-Ray diffraction showed that the WSe 2 films were crystalline with cell constants close to those expected-some preferred orientation was noted at higher deposition temperature. Energy-dispersive analysis by X-rays (EDAX) gave a W : Se ratio close to 1 : 2 for all the films formed at 550 uC. The films were matt black in appearance, were adhesive, passed the Scotch tape test but could be scratched with a steel scalpel. SEM showed that the films were composed of either plate or needle like crystals which become longer and thicker with increasing deposition temperature. The films were highly hydrophobic with contact angles for water droplets in the range of 135-145u. Furthermore these surfaces were highly adherent for water droplets-that did not roll or slide even at a tilt angle of 90u.

Oxidative polymerization of nickel(II) 5,15‐diphenyl porphyrin and nickel(II) 5,15‐bis(di‐3,5‐tert‐butylphenyl) porphyrin by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) yields multiply fused porphyrin oligomers in thin film form. The oCVD technique enables one‐step formation, deposition, and p‐doping of conjugated poly(porphyrins) coatings without solvents or post‐treatments. The decisive reactions and side reactions during the oCVD process are shown by high‐resolution mass spectrometry. Owing to the highly conjugated structure of the fused tapes, the thin films exhibit an electrical conductivity of 3.6×10 −2 S cm −1 and strong absorption in the visible to near‐infrared spectral region. The formation of smooth conjugated poly(porphyrins) coatings, even on sensitive substrates, is demonstrated by deposition and patterning on glass, silicon, and paper. Formation of conductive poly(porphyrins) thin films could enable the design of new optoelectronic devices using the oCVD approach.

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A novel atmospheric pressure plasma-initiated chemical vapor deposition (AP-PiCVD) approach toward the growth of conventional polymer layers is characterized and interpreted. A set of three methacrylate monomers (methyl, butyl, and glycidyl methacrylate) were investigated using ultrashort plasma discharges (ca. 100 ns) pulsed at various frequencies, covering a range of duty cycle from 0.1% to 0.000 316%. An unprecedented weight-average molar mass of 94 000 g mol −1 coupled to an outstanding thin film conformality and an excellent chemical functionalities retention was achieved for the best deposition conditions. Insights into the growth mechanisms in AP-PiCVD and their dependence on the monomer's intrinsic properties are provided.

This work reports the strong correlation between the conductivity of fused porphyrins thin films and the porphyrin substituents.

While the solution‐phase synthesis of directly fused porphyrin tapes has been successfully developed in recent years, the deposition of these promising compounds in thin film form has remained a challenge. In this study, we report the simultaneous synthesis and deposition of conductive directly fused poly(porphyrin) coatings based on a substrate independent and up‐scalable oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) approach. A particular emphasis is given to the selection and sublimation conditions of the oxidant. The direct fusion of nickel(II) 5,15‐(diphenyl)porphyrin (NiDPP) is successfully achieved using three different oxidants, namely iron(III) chloride (FeCl3), copper(II) chloride (CuCl2) and copper(II) perchlorate hexahydrate (Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O). FeCl3 is demonstrated as the most suitable oxidant, allowing the formation of mainly singly‐fused poly(NiDPP) or conductive mainly doubly or triply‐fused poly(NiDPP) that strongly absorb in the NIR. High‐resolution mass spectrometry evidences the chlorination of the formed compounds as a side reaction. This chlorination can either be considered as a drawback by preventing the formation of large directly fused NiDPP oligomers or as an asset when targeting the formation of fully insoluble directly fused poly(NiDPP) coatings. Overall, the described oCVD approach opened up the possibility to tune the band gap, conductivity, and solubility of directly fused P(NiDPP) coatings.

Metalloporphyrin tapes form in a solvent-free oxidative chemical vapor deposition process on glass substrates. The metal center (M = Ni II , Cu II , Zn II , Co II , Pd II , Fe III Cl, 2H) in the 5,15-disubstituted porphyrin monomer affects the initial C-C coupling step and consequently the formation of triply or doubly linked porphyrin tapes as well as the interchain interaction in the tape as shown by optical spectroscopy, high resolution