Intelligent Icephobic Surface toward Self-Deicing Capability

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces show attractive anti-icing properties. However, it remains a challenge for them to achieve icephobicity and ultralow ice adhesion in a humid environment, which is fundamentally attributed to the icing behavior on their hierarchical textures. Here, we address the issue by integrating a superhydrophobic copper mesh with an intelligent organogel that can secrete antifreezing agent autonomously in response to temperature. The antifreezing agent is composed of ethylene glycol and water. By autonomously secreting the antifreezing agent at subzero temperatures, the hybrid surface effectively inhibits the frosting process on the hierarchical texture of the superhydrophobic mesh. Consequently, the surface not only exhibits excellent antifrosting properties in a humid atmosphere but also repeatedly removes the ice deposited spontaneously due to ultralow ice adhesion (8 Pa). This integration of intelligent organogel paves a new and promising avenue to design superhydrophobic surfaces with excellent icephobic properties