Multifunctional gel-coated/three-dimensional liquid-infused surfaces for anti-icing and dropwise condensation

Abstract

The expansion of surface engineering applications has led to extensive research in this field. Liquid-infused surfaces (LISs) are among the most widely studied and implemented surfaces. However, the LIS implementation challenges include fabrication processes, material selection, and limited durability. This study introduces a gel-coated surface fabricated by exposing an aluminum surface covered with high-viscosity silicone oil to ultraviolet radiation and attaining a polymeric gel-like structure. A single immersion in low-viscosity silicone oil transforms it into a durable, anti-icing three-dimensional LIS (3-D LIS), eliminating typical LIS challenges. The gel-coated surface and 3-D LIS exhibit outstanding stability due to chemical bonding with aluminum and superior corrosion resistance provided by the polymeric gel layer barrier, as evidenced by an increase of four orders of magnitude in the Nyquist plot radius in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Ice adhesion strengths are 26 kPa for the gel-coated surface and 4.3 kPa for the 3-D LIS, both maintaining low adhesion through 20 icing/de-icing cycles. The gel-coated surface improves condensation efficiency by 59 % when subcooled to 5 °C. The 3-D LIS demonstrates exceptional durability under high shear stress (spinning at 9000 rpm) and extreme pH conditions. Additionally, both surfaces are durable against water infiltration and offer extended applications with a facile and low-cost fabrication process.