Rationally designed metallic reentrant superomniphobic structures toward anti-icing for low-surface-tension liquids

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Tribology

Background:

• Icing significantly impacts aerospace and energy transmission safety.
• Conventional superhydrophobic surfaces fail with mixed liquids or organic solvents.
• Existing anti-icing solutions lack broad applicability for diverse liquid types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer reentrant superomniphobic structures on metal surfaces.
• To achieve effective anti-icing for both aqueous solutions and low-surface-tension organic liquids.
• To address challenges in maintaining surface repellency under low temperatures and low surface tension.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of microreentrant and nanowire structures on metal surfaces.
• Synergistic design combining microreentrant and nanowire features.
• Testing ice adhesion strength and dynamic anti-icing performance with various liquids.

Main Results:

• Developed metallic superomniphobic surfaces with low ice adhesion strengths (3.9 kPa for sulfuric acid, 4.2 kPa for hexadecane).
• Demonstrated rapid droplet roll-off for sulfuric acid and peanut oil at -20 °C and 50% RH.
• Confirmed long-term deicing durability and superior multi-liquid anti-icing performance.

Conclusions:

• The study presents the first fully metallic, durable superomniphobic surface for multi-liquid anti-icing.
• The designed surfaces overcome limitations of conventional anti-icing materials.
• This technology offers a viable pathway for practical anti-icing applications in diverse environments.