Repurposing superhydrophobic surfaces into icephobic surfaces

Abstract

Ice accretion on surfaces is a major economic concern in the energy and transportation industries, particularly due to the need of frequent maintenance. In contrast to the traditional de-icing approaches involving the use of electrical, mechanical, chemical or a combinatorial approach, the use of icephobic surfaces inspired by nature is a more environmentally friendlier solution. Understanding the fundamentals of the interaction of liquid with solid surfaces at low temperatures is at the core of this topic which motivated the need of this review. While shedding light on the ice nucleation kinetics and ice accretion on solid surfaces, this review provides an overview of icephobicity and provide a pathway to repurpose superhydrophobic surfaces for their use as icephobic surfaces.