Anti-Icing and Frost Property of Superhydrophobic Micro-Nano Structures with Embossed Micro-Array Channels.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Aerospace Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Aircraft icing poses a significant threat to flight safety.
• Passive anti-icing technologies, such as hydrophobic microstructures, offer a promising solution for long-term ice prevention.
• Existing methods require enhancement for improved anti-icing performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel superhydrophobic micro-nano composite structure for enhanced aircraft surface anti-icing.
• To investigate the effect of microstructure period size on anti-icing and anti-frost properties.
• To analyze the droplet freezing and frosting behavior on the developed surfaces.

Main Methods:

• A composite process involving hot-embossing of PVD-coated punches and fluoride modification was employed.
• Nanoscale cluster structures were generated on array channels to create a micro-nano composite surface.
• Droplet freezing and frosting behavior were analyzed on surfaces with varying microstructure periods.

Main Results:

• Anti-icing and anti-frost properties improved with increasing microstructure period size (T).
• At T = 500 μm, freezing time increased by 214.3% and frost coverage time by 75.7%.
• The superhydrophobic micro-nano composite structure achieved a maximum water contact angle of 153.3°, delaying droplet freezing by 1166.67%.

Conclusions:

• The multi-stage micro-nano composite structure significantly enhances surface anti-icing performance.
• Air pockets stored at the microstructure base prevent droplet wetting and reduce heat exchange.
• This technology offers a viable passive anti-icing solution for aircraft surfaces.