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Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
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Bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces, fabricated through simple and scalable roll-to-roll processing
Sung-Hoon Park1, Sangeui Lee2, David Moreira3
1Department of Mechanical engineering, Soongsil University, 369 Sangdo-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 156-743, Korea.
Scientific Reports
|October 23, 2015
Summary
A new technique creates durable superhydrophobic surfaces using non-Newtonian fluid instabilities. These surfaces exhibit self-cleaning properties and reduce drag, mimicking shark skin for enhanced performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces offer self-cleaning and drag reduction benefits.
- Fabricating durable SH surfaces often requires complex, non-scalable methods.
- Controlling fluid instabilities is crucial for surface patterning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple, scalable, non-lithographic method for fabricating durable superhydrophobic surfaces.
- To leverage non-Newtonian fluid instabilities for surface texture creation.
- To evaluate the durability, self-cleaning, and drag reduction properties of the fabricated SH surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fingering instabilities in non-Newtonian fluid flow (nanotube/elastomer paste).
- Employed shear tearing during paste fabrication.
- Characterized surface morphology, mechanical robustness, and self-cleaning capabilities.
- Measured drag reduction effects using dynamic flow measurements.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated durable superhydrophobic surfaces with a 'bristled shark skin' appearance.
- Demonstrated robustness against mechanical forces.
- Confirmed self-cleaning properties and significant drag reduction effects.
- Showcased the utility of flow instability, typically avoided, for SH surface fabrication.
Conclusions:
- A scalable, non-lithographic method for durable SH surface fabrication is established.
- The technique effectively utilizes non-Newtonian flow instabilities.
- The fabricated surfaces possess valuable properties including durability, self-cleaning, and drag reduction.
