Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
A common supersolid skin covering both water and ice
Xi Zhang1, Yongli Huang, Zengsheng Ma
1NOVITAS, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798. ecqsun@ntu.edu.sg.
Abstract:
Consistency in experimental observations, numerical calculations, and theoretical predictions have revealed that the skins of water and ice share the same attribute of supersolidity characterized by an identical H-O vibration frequency of 3450 cm(-1). Molecular undercoordination and inter-electron-pair repulsion shortens the H-O bond and lengthens the O:H nonbond, leading to a dual process of nonbonding electron polarization. This relaxation-polarization process enhances the dipole moment, elasticity, viscosity, and thermal stability of these skins with a 25% density loss, which is responsible for the hydrophobicity and toughness of the water skin and results in the slippery behavior of ice.
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