The study of the anti-icing performance of superhydrophobic silica-nanostructured metal substrates

Superhydrophobic surfaces have proven effective in mitigating ice formation on substrates. This study aimed to experimentally investigate the effects of the surface structure of selected metal substrates on the anti-icing performance. Superhydrophobic surfaces were fabricated on aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and titanium substrates using a spray coating technique with superhydrophobic tridecafluorooctyl triethoxy silane (FAS)-functionalized colloidal silica nanoparticles. The surface wettability, surface morphology, and chemical analysis of the coated surfaces were reported. The results demonstrated successful deposition of silica nanoparticles on all substrates, significantly improving the anti-icing property of the coated surfaces. When compared with uncoated surfaces, the droplet icing times of the coated aluminum plate (C-Al), of the coated copper plate (C-Cu), of the coated stainless steel plate (C-SS), and of the coated titanium plate (C-Ti) significantly enhanced by 751%, 795%, 830% and 1320%, respectively. Also, a heat transfer model was also developed to explain the anti-icing phenomenon.