Exceptional Anti-Icing Performance of Self-Impregnating Slippery Surfaces

Abstract

A heat exchange interface at subzero temperature in a water vapor environment, exhibits high probability of frost formation due to freezing condensation, a factor that markedly decreases the heat transfer efficacy due to the considerable thermal resistance of ice. Here we report a novel strategy to delay ice nucleation on these types of solid-water vapor interfaces.With a process-driven mechanism, a self-generated liquid intervening layer immiscible to water, is deposited on a textured superhydrophobic surface and acts as a barrier between the water vapor and the solid substrate. This liquid layer imparts remarkable slippery conditions resulting in high mobility of condensing water droplets. A large increase of the ensuing ice coverage time 1 is shown compared to the cases of standard smooth hydrophilic or textured superhydrophobic surfaces. During deicing of these self-impregnating surfaces we show an impressive tendency of ice fragments to skate expediting defrosting. Robustness of such surfaces is also demonstrated by operating them under subcooling for at least 490hr without a marked degradation. This is attributed to the presence of the liquid intervening layer, which protects the substrate from hydrolyzation enhancing longevity and sustaining heat transfer efficiency.

Oil-Impregnated Hydrocarbon-Based Polymer Films

“…Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) exhibit remarkable properties such as ultra-low contact angle hysteresis (CAH) for a wide variety of liquids 1 , 2 , excellent self-healing capability 2 , 3 , and stability under high pressures or temperatures 2 , 4 , 5 . In addition to repelling liquids, SLIPS have been shown to promote anti-fouling 6 – 13 , self-cleaning 1 , 2 , 14 , anti-icing 15 – 20 , reduced drag 21 – 24 and enhanced phase-change heat transfer 25 – 31 .…”

Frost-free zone on macrotextured surfaces

“…To facilitate ice removal, an additional layer of fluid that is not miscible with water and has a low melting point (lower than the operating temperature) is often introduced between the ice and solid surface. Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces, which use a low surface tension oil as the fluid to achieve molecular-level smoothness, not only are able to delay freezing but also are able to reduce ice adhesion strength by up to two orders of magnitude compared to noncoated surfaces (14)(15)(16). Alternatively, with the presence of a hygroscopic material coating such as polyethylene oxide brushes, the frozen ice can also be self-lubricated by a thin layer of water at the ice−solid interface (17,18).…”

Molecular Dynamics Study on the Wetting Transition of a Hierarchical Groove

“…Superhydrophobic surfaces have extremely wide applications including anti‐icing, anti‐frosting, biological materials, and water collection . A typical superhydrophobic surface exhibits a water contact angle (CA) above 150°, a sliding angle (SA), and a contact angle hysteresis (CAH) below 10° …”