Reducing Ice Adhesion on Nonsmooth Metallic Surfaces: Wettability and Topography Effects

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Science
• Tribology

Background:

• Ice formation and accretion on surfaces pose significant risks, ranging from minor inconveniences to life-threatening situations.
• Ice-shedding materials aim to reduce ice adhesion strength, mitigating icing problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the influence of surface wettability and topography on ice adhesion strength.
• Analyze ice adhesion on superhydrophobic pillars, stainless steel meshes, and carbon nanotube-covered steel meshes.

Main Methods:

• Tested ice adhesion on three distinct surface types: laser-inscribed pillars, Dutch-weave meshes, and nanotube-covered meshes.
• Compared ice adhesion with polished surfaces as a baseline.
• Measured dynamic contact angles to assess surface wettability.

Main Results:

• The finest stainless steel mesh demonstrated a 93% reduction in ice adhesion compared to polished stainless steel.
• Superhydrophobic square pillars increased ice adhesion by up to 67% compared to polished copper.
• Surface wettability showed minimal correlation with ice adhesion; instead, mechanical interlocking and microcrack formation governed adhesion on nonplanar surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Ice adhesion is influenced by competing mechanisms: mechanical interlocking enhancing adhesion and microcrack formation reducing it.
• Surface topography plays a crucial role in ice adhesion, overriding wettability effects.
• Designing ice-releasing materials should focus on surface topographies that promote interfacial crack propagation.