Photothermal Solid Slippery Surfaces with Rapid Self-Healing, Improved Anti/De-Icing and Excellent Stability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Icing poses significant challenges in natural and industrial settings, impacting daily life and infrastructure.
• Existing anti-icing and deicing surfaces struggle to combine stability, self-healing, and high performance.
• Developing robust surfaces for ice prevention and removal remains a critical research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a stable, self-healing, photothermal solid slippery surface with superior anti-icing and deicing properties.
• To investigate the performance of the fabricated surface under various environmental conditions and illumination sources.
• To evaluate the durability and repeatability of the surface's self-healing mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Integration of cellulose acetate film, carbon nanotubes, and paraffin wax (CCP) to form a photothermal solid slippery surface.
• Testing anti-icing and deicing performance at -17°C under solar illumination and -22°C under infrared light.
• Assessing surface stability in underwater and ultra-low temperature environments for over 30 days.
• Evaluating rapid self-repair capabilities under solar and near-infrared (NIR) illumination within seconds.
• Conducting 50 abrasion-repair cycles to test the durability of lubricating properties.

Main Results:

• The CCP surface demonstrated excellent anti-icing and deicing properties at -17°C under 1 sun illumination.
• Effective deicing was achieved at -22°C under infrared light illumination.
• The surface maintained stability in harsh conditions (underwater, ultra-low temperatures) for over 30 days.
• Rapid self-repair occurred within 16.0 ± 1.5 seconds under solar or NIR illumination.
• Lubricating properties remained undeteriorated after 50 repeated abrasion-repair cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed photothermal solid slippery surface exhibits outstanding comprehensive performance, including anti-icing, deicing, and rapid self-healing.
• The surface's stability and durability in challenging environments highlight its practical potential.
• This material offers significant commercial value for applications in high latitude and altitude regions prone to icing.