Dynamic Anti-Icing Performance of Flexible Hybrid Superhydropohobic Surfaces

Normal superhydrophobic surfaces with a rough topography provide pocketed air at the solid-liquid interface, which guides the droplet to easily detach from the surface at room temperature. However, at low temperatures, this function attenuates obviously. In this research, a flexible hybrid topography with submillimeter (sub-mm) and microcone arrays is designed to adjust the impacting behavior of the droplet. The sub-mm cone could provide rigid support to limit deformation, leading to reduced energy consumption during impact processes. However, the microcone could maintain surface superhydrophobicity under different conditions, preventing droplet breakage and the change of the droplet contact state during impact processes by providing multiple contact points. Under the synergistic effect, such a hybrid structure could provide much more pocket air at the solid-liquid interface to limit the spreading of liquid droplets and reduce the energy loss during the impact process. At a low temperature (−5 °C), even if the impact height is reduced to 1 cm, the droplets still could be bound off, and the hybrid superhydrophobic surface presents excellent dynamic anti-icing ability. The special flexible hybrid superhydropohobic surface has potential application in fast self-cleaning and anti-icing fields.