Fabrication of Slippery Surfaces on Aluminum Alloy and Its Anti-Icing Performance in Glaze Ice

Abstract

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have received growing attention as promising icephobic materials. In this study, SLIPS were prepared on aluminum alloys by combining anodization and infusion of common silicone oil. An SLIPS with low ice-adhesion strength (6 kPa) was obtained by optimizing the anodizing time parameters (10 min). In addition, the frosting process and freezing of water droplets on the as-prepared SLIPS at −10 °C were delayed for 2000 s and 4800 s, respectively. Simultaneously, the as-prepared SLIPS also exhibited excellent anti-icing performance in glaze ice, since the supercooled water drips/ice slipped from the surface. The ice weight of the as-prepared SLIPS was significantly lower than that of the bare aluminum surface and the anti-icing-fluid-coated aluminum surface, which was reduced by 38.2%–63.6% compared with the bare aluminum surface. The ice weight increased with decreased temperature and inclination angle. This work proposes a method suitable for large-area preparation of SLIPS that achieves excellent anti-icing performance and significantly reduces the weight of glaze ice.

Durability of Slippery Liquid-Infused Surfaces: Challenges and Advances

“…Anodization techniques, in which the electrolytic surface oxidation of aluminum or aluminum alloys is performed via a controlled applied voltage, allow the better texturing of porous structures. Surfaces created using this technique also show better shear, thermal and corrosion resistance [110][111][112][113]. Zhang et al [114] developed a facile method for the fabrication of SLIPS using a polyHIPE (poly high internal phase emulsion) membrane as a porous substrate.…”

A Transparent Photo/Electrothermal Composite Coating with Liquid-like Slippery Property for All-Day Anti-/De-Icing

“…Icing accretion is a common physical phenomenon that can cause performance degradation and loss of function, resulting in serious safety issues and economic losses in many systems, including solar panels, aircraft, high-speed rail, power lines, etc. − Passive anti-icing surfaces such as slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) exhibit ultralow icing adhesion due to the transformation of the icing interface on SLIPS from “solid–solid contact” to “solid-liquid-solid contact”. − However, the widespread application of SLIPS surfaces is hindered by the loss of lubricating oil due to erosion caused by air–liquid flow and ice shedding. Therefore, an alternative method of constructing liquid-like slippery surface by covalently grafting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brush or organic molecules with chemical bonds is developed, which can effectively improve the durability of ultraslippery surfaces. − However, passive anti-icing alone is insufficient to, achieve complete anti-icing under dynamic icing conditions. , A combination of active and passive anti-icing/deicing methods is necessary.…”