Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2025

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Thermodynamic mechanisms governing icing: Key insights for designing passive anti-icing surfaces
Zhengzheng Xu1, Guoyong Wang1, Shuangxin Li1
1Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, P.R. China.
Abstract:
In winter, while the freezing of water can create breathtaking landscapes, it also poses significant operational challenges when ice accumulates on functional surfaces. Ice obstructs solar panels, impairs car windshield visibility, increases energy consumption in appliances due to insulation, and can cause structural failures or collapses due to weight and rigidity. To address these issues, various active de-icing methods are employed in cold regions. However, passive anti-icing solutions are gaining preference for their lower energy consumption, cost-effectiveness, and environmental benefits. While superhydrophobic surfaces delay ice formation, they do not fully resolve the problem. Understanding the interaction between surfaces and moisture-essential for ice formation-can inspire innovative anti-icing design principles. This review examines icing physics, identifies critical environmental factors affecting ice formation, evaluates icephobic surfaces, and discusses practical application challenges. We also outline promising design principles for passive anti-icing surfaces, emphasizing their broad applicability across diverse environments.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Lift
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Static and Kinetic Frictional Force
However, if two systems are in contact and are stationary relative to one...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Mechanism of heat transfer
Surface Tension and Surface Energy
Consider a beaker filled with liquid. The bulk molecules in the liquid experience equal attractive forces on all sides with the surrounding molecules. However, the surface molecules experience a net attractive force downward due to the bulk molecules. The surface of the liquid behaves like a stretched membrane,...

