Fabrication and Experimental Study of Micro/Sub-Micro Porous Copper Coating for Anti-Icing Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Tribology

Background:

• Metallic surfaces often suffer from icing issues, impacting performance and safety.
• Developing surfaces with enhanced water repellency and reduced ice adhesion is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate micro and sub-micro-spherical porous copper coatings.
• To modify these surfaces for superhydrophobic and slippery properties.
• To evaluate their water repellency and anti-icing performance.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of micro and sub-micro-spherical copper powder slurries.
• Fabrication of porous coating surfaces.
• Low surface energy modification using PFDTES-fluorination.
• Surface wettability and chemical component analysis.
• Contact angle measurements at varying temperatures.
• Ice adhesion strength testing.

Main Results:

• Porous coatings significantly increased water repellency compared to bare copper.
• PFDTES-fluorinated surfaces achieved superhydrophobicity (~150° contact angle) even below 0 °C.
• Water repellency decreased at lower temperatures due to vapor condensation.
• Ice adhesion strength was reduced by 62.8% and 72.7% for micro and sub-micro coatings, respectively.
• PFDTES-fluorinated and slippery liquid-infused surfaces exhibited ultra-low ice adhesion (11.5–15.7 kPa).

Conclusions:

• Micro and sub-micro porous copper coatings with surface modification offer excellent water repellency.
• These surfaces demonstrate significant potential for anti-icing and de-icing applications on metallic materials.
• The developed coatings provide a promising strategy for mitigating icing challenges in various environments.