Bio‐Inspired Anti‐Icing Material as an Energy‐Saving Design toward Sustainable Ice Repellency

Abstract

To avoid disastrous consequences from ice deposition, solar anti‐icing surfaces (SASs) have performed the potential of anti‐icing application because of their excellent photothermal de‐icing effect in the daytime. However, the deposition of ice still cannot be prevented due to the lack of solar energy at cold night, inevitably requiring extra energy consumption such as electrical heating. In this work, a bio‐inspired anti‐icing material (BAM) is presented, showing an energy‐saving design for sustainable ice repellency. By integrating a phase change microcapsule (PCM) layer with a superhydrophobic photothermal (SPT) layer, the BAM can delay icing for more than 8 h at cold night without any external energy. Different from traditional SASs, the PCM layer can store energy in the daytime and release heat energy for keeping temperature up freezing point at night. In addition, the SPT layer displays excellent solar‐to‐heat conversion for sufficient energy and robust self‐cleaning property for avoiding the blockage of sunlight from the contaminants or molten water, thereby resulting in the excellent icing delay. Therefore, this design can be developed and utilized for sustainable ice repellent applications such as power transmission, building infrastructure, and transportation networks.

Superhydrophobic Antifrosting 7075 Aluminum Alloy Surface with Stable Cassie–Baxter State Fabricated through Direct Laser Interference Lithography and Hydrothermal Treatment

“…5,7 However, all of them are either extremely energy-intensive or chemically hazardous. Recently developed techniques that can postpone heterogeneous nucleation and generate water mobility include photothermal surfaces 8,9 and lubricant-infused slippery surfaces. 10,11 However, lubricant can quickly drain, causing or exacerbating frost formation and accumulation.…”

“…Conventional approaches, such as electrothermal systems, oscillations, and antifreezing chemical compounds, have been developed to alleviate frosting. , However, all of them are either extremely energy-intensive or chemically hazardous. Recently developed techniques that can postpone heterogeneous nucleation and generate water mobility include photothermal surfaces , and lubricant-infused slippery surfaces. , However, lubricant can quickly drain, causing or exacerbating frost formation and accumulation . Photothermal surfaces require constant solar illumination .…”

Photothermal Energy‐Storage Capsule with Sustainable Evaporation for Efficient Anti‐/Deicing

“…[3,[26][27][28] It should be noted that the surface will lose its anti-icing and deicing capabilities when there is no illumination, e.g., in cloudy days and at night. [29][30][31] Notably, water evaporation is more advantageous on hydrophilic surfaces due to its lower thermal resistance. [32] Therefore, using the evaporation properties of hydrophilic surfaces to design a versatile surface that is capable of photothermal effect and energy storage would be grossly desirable.…”

“…[35][36][37] Comparison with other phase change energy storage technologies, [38,39] photothermal composite phase change materials (PCMs) show greater potential in sustainable anti-icing fields due to their solar energy utilization and thermal storage. [29,40] The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/ente.202301018. DOI: 10.1002/ente.202301018…”

“…[ 35–37 ] Comparison with other phase change energy storage technologies, [ 38,39 ] photothermal composite phase change materials (PCMs) show greater potential in sustainable anti‐icing fields due to their solar energy utilization and thermal storage. [ 29,40 ]…”