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Updated: Jul 25, 2026
09:22
Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
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Bioinspired Photothermal Superhydrophobic Metamaterial With Structured Micro-Nano Crystal Arrays for Anti-/De-Icing
Zhiyu Ren1,2, Sijia Niu1,2, Aijing Lv1
1Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|November 5, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel structured micro/nano-crystal array photothermal superhydrophobic metamaterial (SMNA-PSM) for effective anti-icing and de-icing. The metamaterial achieves 96% solar absorptivity and tunable superhydrophobicity, overcoming limitations of current technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Science
Background:
- Ice accumulation poses significant risks, necessitating advanced anti-/de-icing solutions.
- Current photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces face challenges in precise structure control, performance tunability, and scalability.
- Existing fabrication methods like lithography are costly for nanoscale features, while disordered structures lack consistency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a high-performance structured micro/nano-crystal array photothermal superhydrophobic metamaterial (SMNA-PSM).
- To enhance solar spectrum absorptivity and achieve tunable superhydrophobicity for superior anti-/de-icing capabilities.
- To overcome the limitations of conventional micro-nano hierarchical structures in terms of performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a structured micro/nano-crystal array metamaterial.
- Integration of Metal-insulator-Metal (MIM) structures to create heterogeneous resonators.
- Tuning surface morphology by adjusting deposition materials to control wettability from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic.
- Leveraging film-based advantages for tunable performance, uniformity, and scalability.
Main Results:
- Achieved 96% solar spectrum absorptivity through a continuous absorption band from heterogeneous resonators.
- Demonstrated tunable wettability, enabling a switch from hydrophobicity to superhydrophobicity.
- The structured micro-nano crystal array approach offers tunable performance, uniformity, substrate-friendliness, and scalability.
Conclusions:
- The developed SMNA-PSM offers a promising solution for anti-/de-icing applications.
- This approach provides a scalable and tunable platform for micro-nano structure fabrication, broadband wave absorption, and photothermal conversion.
- The study highlights broad application potential in advanced material design and surface engineering for diverse environmental challenges.
Keywords:
anti‐/de‐icingbioinspired metamaterialsheterogeneous resonatorsmicro‐nano hierarchical structuresphotothermal superhydrophobic materialsMore Related Videos
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