An energy-free strategy to elevate anti-icing performance of superhydrophobic materials through interfacial airflow manipulation

Jiawei Jiang, Yizhou Shen (), Yangjiangshan Xu, Zhen Wang, Jie Tao (), Senyun Liu, Weilan Liu and Haifeng Chen
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Jiawei Jiang: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Yizhou Shen: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Yangjiangshan Xu: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Zhen Wang: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Jie Tao: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Senyun Liu: key Laboratory of Icing and Anti/De-icing, China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
Weilan Liu: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Haifeng Chen: Qiuzhen School, Huzhou University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Superhydrophobic surfaces demonstrate excellent anti-icing performance under static conditions. However, they show a marked decrease in icing time under real flight conditions. Here we develop an anti-icing strategy using ubiquitous wind field to improve the anti-icing efficiency of superhydrophobic surfaces during flight. We find that the icing mass on hierarchical superhydrophobic surface with a microstructure angle of 30° is at least 40% lower than that on the conventional superhydrophobic plate, which is attributed to the combined effects of microdroplet flow upwelling induced by interfacial airflow and microdroplet ejection driven by superhydrophobic characteristic. Meanwhile, the disordered arrangement of water molecules induced by the specific 30° angle also raises the energy barriers required for nucleation, resulting in an inhibition of the nucleation process. This strategy of microdroplet movement manipulation induced by interfacial airflow is expected to break through the anti-icing limitation of conventional superhydrophobic materials in service conditions and can further reduce the risk of icing on the aircraft surface.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45078-5

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