Mosquito-Eye-Inspired Photothermal Icephobic Surface with Enhanced Anti-Icing and Deicing Efficiency

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Tribology

Background:

• Ice accumulation on surfaces poses significant challenges in various industries, including transportation and energy.
• Existing deicing methods can be energy-intensive and environmentally impactful.
• Bioinspired designs offer promising avenues for developing efficient and sustainable anti-icing solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a bioinspired icephobic surface with mosquito-eye-like micro/nanostructures (IPMM).
• To evaluate the superhydrophobicity, ice adhesion, and deicing performance of the IPMM.
• To explore the potential applications of IPMM in preventing ice and snow accumulation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of IPMM using candle soot self-assembly on a microspine array.
• Characterization of surface morphology and wettability.
• Measurement of ice adhesion forces at sub-zero temperatures.
• Assessment of photothermal efficiency and deicing/desnowing rates under laboratory and outdoor conditions.

Main Results:

• The IPMM exhibited superhydrophobicity with low ice adhesion forces (∼25.4 μN at -5 °C).
• The surface demonstrated excellent liquid repellency, repelling impacting droplets multiple times.
• IPMM showed high photothermal efficiency with rapid defrosting (∼2.03 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹) and deicing (∼13.32 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹) rates.
• Outdoor tests confirmed effective snow melting (∼522 s) and ice removal (∼54 s for partial ice, ∼1359 s for 8 mm thick ice) at -9.6 °C.

Conclusions:

• The bioinspired IPMM surface offers a promising solution for effective deicing and anti-icing.
• The mosquito-eye-like micro/nanostructures contribute to superior icephobic properties.
• This technology has potential applications for aircraft wings, cables, wind blades, and other infrastructure exposed to cold conditions.