Elevating thermal-deicing efficiency via regulating interfacial-ice induced by microstructure under flow condition

Regulating ice type to optimize the failure behavior of the solid-ice interface during the melting process presents a viable approach for enhancing thermal de-icing efficiency, nevertheless, the prevailing notion that ice type is exclusively determined by flow conditions restricts the advancement of solid-ice interface control technologies. Here, we propose a strategy that leverages non-wetting microstructures to induce spontaneous formation of near-wall rime (interfacial-rime) under flow conditions. Thicker interfacial-rime can significantly enhance the de-icing efficiency by modifying conventional solid-liquid-ice interactions into direct solid-ice contact during the melting process. Interestingly, pre-frozen droplets adhering to defined mathematical criteria are fragmented by microstructures with tailored dimensions with the assistance of flow field, significantly reducing the initial ice crystal size. The blocking effect induced by ice crystals with smaller initial size effectively elevates the thickness of interfacial-rime layer, significantly reduces the energy consumption of thermal deicing by roughly 56% without introducing additional energy consumption.