Coating an aluminum surface with nanostructured polymer layer subsequently converted into a slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) is shown above (Source: Harvard University )
The new method doesn't fail under high-humidity conditions like before
Harvard University researchers have created a new treatment that will prevent ice and frost from forming on metal surfaces.
Joanna Aizenberg, study leader and professor of Materials Science at Harvard University, led a team of Harvard researchers when developing the new surface treatment. She already introduced the idea awhile ago, saying she was inspired by the lotus leaf and its water repellent abilities. However, there was an issue: high humidity could cause the technique to fail.
The answer to the problem was her latest adjustment to the technique, which is called Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS). The SLIPS surfaces are capable of holding up in high humidity and even intense pressure, and successfully prevent solid ice, frost, water drops and condensation from forming on their surfaces. Instead, these different forms of water slide right off.
The coating is non-toxic and anti-corrosive. It can also adhere to metal surfaces while holding in the lubricant, and is sculpted to the metal's shape.
"Unlike lotus leaf-inspired icephobic surfaces, which fail under high humidity conditions, SLIPS-based icephobic materials, as our results suggest, can completely prevent ice formation at temperatures slightly below 0°C while dramatically reducing ice accumulation and adhesion under deep freezing, frost-forming conditions," said Aizenberg.
The new technique was tested on refrigerator cooling fins under a "deep freeze condition." The coating successfully prevented frost from forming much longer than other anti-frost methods.
Not only does the coating prevent water, ice, and frost from forming, but it also lowers energy costs and could be used on airplane wings, refrigeration and high-humidity environments.
"This new approach to icephobic materials is a truly disruptive idea that offers a way to make a transformative impact on energy and safety costs associated with ice, and we are actively working with the refrigeration and aviation industries to bring it to market," said Aizenberg.
Source: Science Daily
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