Superhydrophobic Anodized Fe Surface Modified with Fluoroalkylsilane for Application in LiBr–Water Absorption Refrigeration Process

LiBr refrigerating systems are frequently used in industry, but the pipelines are easily corroded or blocked by the LiBr solution with high flow resistance. Here, a superhydrophobic Fe surface was proposed and tested for applicability. After constructing a rough Fe₂O₃ nanotube array on a Fe surface by the anodization process, a superhydrophobic Fe surface was obtained by silane modification. The as-prepared superhydrophobic surface exhibited excellent repulsion to LiBr solutions. The modified Fe foil showed a 3.35% decrease in thermal conductivity but a 99.2% improvement of anticorrosion protection efficiency. LiBr crystals deposited on this surface were easily detached. The flow resistance along the superhydrophobic surface was reduced to 50% of that along a pure Fe surface. The operation temperature of the system was broadened due to low blockage risk. The excellent thermal conductivity, anticorrosivity, drag reduction, and antifouling performance of the superhydrophobic Fe surface exhibits promise for industrial application

Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Engineering Metal Surface with Hierarchical Structure and Tunable Adhesion: Design of Microscale Pattern

Lotus leaves and rose petals are both typical natural superhydrophobic surfaces, with low and high adhesion, respectively. This fact inspires us to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces with different levels of adhesion on iron by mimicking their hierarchical structures through three simple steps: abrasion, calcination, and modification. A uniform and stable superhydrophobic iron surface with excellent adaptability and wearability can be obtained, and its adhesion is tunable. The results confirmed that superhydrophobicity and adhesion are both dependent on the synergy of the microscale and nanoscale patterns of the hierarchical structure generated by the designed abrasion and thermal treating. The adhesion level can be controlled by simply adjusting the abrasion program to obtain the desired microscale pattern with a proper ratio of height-to-width of the microstructure. This easy, inexpensive, and clean three-step method is widely applicable for different engineering metals and alloys and suitable for large-scale production

Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Engineering Metal Surface with Hierarchical Structure and Tunable Adhesion: Design of Microscale Pattern

Lotus leaves and rose petals are both typical natural superhydrophobic surfaces, with low and high adhesion, respectively. This fact inspires us to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces with different levels of adhesion on iron by mimicking their hierarchical structures through three simple steps: abrasion, calcination, and modification. A uniform and stable superhydrophobic iron surface with excellent adaptability and wearability can be obtained, and its adhesion is tunable. The results confirmed that superhydrophobicity and adhesion are both dependent on the synergy of the microscale and nanoscale patterns of the hierarchical structure generated by the designed abrasion and thermal treating. The adhesion level can be controlled by simply adjusting the abrasion program to obtain the desired microscale pattern with a proper ratio of height-to-width of the microstructure. This easy, inexpensive, and clean three-step method is widely applicable for different engineering metals and alloys and suitable for large-scale production