Trifolium repens L.-Like Periodic Micronano Structured Superhydrophobic Surface with Ultralow Ice Adhesion for Efficient Anti-Icing/Deicing

Abstract

Wind turbine blades are often covered with ice and snow, which inevitably reduces their power generation efficiency and lifetime. Recently, a superhydrophobic surface has attracted widespread attention due to its potential values in anti-icing/deicing. However, the superhydrophobic surface can easily transition from Cassie−Baxter to Wenzel at low temperature, limiting its wide applications. Herein, inspired by the excellent water resistance and cold tolerance of Trifolium repens L. endowed by its micronano structure and low surface energy, a fresh structure was prepared by combining femtosecond laser processing technology and a boiling water treatment method. The prepared icephobic surface aluminum alloy (ISAl) mainly consists of a periodic microcrater array, nonuniform microclusters, and irregular nanosheets. This three-scale structure greatly promotes the stability of the Cassie− Baxter state. The critical Laplace pressure of ISAl is up to 1437 Pa, and the apparent water contact angle (CA) is higher than 150°at 0 °C. Those two factors contribute to its excellent anti-icing and deicing performances. The results show that the static icing delay time reaches 2577 s, and the ice adhesion strength is only 1.60 kPa. Furthermore, the anti-icing and deicing abilities of the proposed ISAl were examined under the environment of low temperature and high relative humidity to demonstrate its effectiveness. The dynamic anti-icing time of ISAl in extreme environments is up to 5 h, and ice can quickly fall with a speed of 34 r/min when it is in a horizontal rotational motion. Finally, ISAl has excellent reusability and mechanical durability, with the ice adhesion strength still being less than 6 kPa and the CA greater than 150°after 15 cycles of icing−deicing tests. The proposed structure would offer a promising strategy for the efficient anti-icing and deicing of wind turbine blades.

Hierarchical Structure with Microcrater Covered with Nanograss Enhancing Condensation and Its Antifrosting/Anti-Icing Performance Inspired by Euphorbia helioscopia L.

“…The surface still maintains WCA > 160° and RA < 5° after 40 condensation cycles. More particularly, to concisely evaluate the comprehensive performance of the MCNG surface (including water contact angle, rolling angle, resistance to condensation-induced adhesion, droplet jumping frequency, delayed icing time, dynamic antifrosting/defrosting, ice adhesion strength, and mechanical stability/durability), we also compared with the previous literature, ,,,− as shown in Figure b.…”

“…Abundant and gorgeous species in nature have formed functional interfaces with special wettability to adapt to the evolution of survival, which give ponderable hints to material scientists and engineers in the field of passive anti-icing and/or icephobic. ,− Fortunately, we recently discovered that the leaf surface of E. helioscopia L. with superior effective removal of condensed droplets, the surface structures composed of a randomly distributed microcrater structure, and the compact nanograss structure is located within it.…”

Laser-based bionic manufacturing

“…Surfaces with ultra-low ice adhesion strength and superior mechanical durability in extremely cold and wet environments are of great interest. Anti-icing surfaces prepared using femtosecond lasers to mimic the periodic micro-nanostructures of white axle grass exhibit an excellent static/dynamic anti-icing effect and mechanical durability (figure 5(e)) [55]. The surface demonstrates a static anti-icing time of up to 2832 s and a frost protection time of up to 5 h in complex and extreme environments.…”

Bioinspired directional structures for inhibiting wetting on super-melt-philic surfaces above 1200 °C

“…Inspired by this natural phenomenon, artificial superhydrophobic surfaces have garnered significant attention due to their widespread practical applications in self-cleaning [5,6], droplet manipulation [7][8][9][10], oil-water separation [11,12], drag reduction [13,14], anti-icing [15,16], etc. Nowadays, it is easy to achieve room-temperature superhydrophobicity by constructing micro/nanostructures and implementing chemical modifications [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. However, the attainment of similar superrepellent properties for molten droplets in high-temperature air environments (e.g.…”