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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Passive Deicing CFRP Surfaces Enabled by Super-Hydrophobic Multi-Scale Micro-Nano Structures Fabricated via
Zihan Zhang1, Jiakang Zhou1, Yuqi Ren1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, International School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Abstract:
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is the main material of aircraft skin. Preparing superhydrophobic anti-icing/deicing surface on the CFRP is of great importance for aircraft flight safety. In this work, a variety of multi-scale micro-nano structures were imprinted on CFRP by femtosecond laser processing, and a transition from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic CFRP was realized. After being optimized by different geometries and laser conditions, the water contact angle, which is tested at 24.3 °C and 34% humidity, increased from 88 ± 2° (pristine) to 149 ± 3° (100 μm groove) and 153 ± 3° (80 μm grid). A further anti-icing test at -10 °C (measured on the cooling platform) and 28% humidity showed that the freezing time was increased from 78 ± 10 s (pristine) to 282 ± 25 s (80 μm grid). Most importantly, the tensile tests showed that the femtosecond laser processing method did not deteriorate the mechanical properties of CFRP. This work provides great significance for aircraft passive deicing technology.
