Flexible Mushroom-Like Cross-Scale Surface with Extreme Pressure Resistance for Telecommunication Lines Anti-Icing/Deicing
Xiaopeng Wang, Yi Yang, Sensen Xuan, Guoqiang Li, Jiasong Liu, Yuegan Song, Yuan Wang, Yunshan Ge, Xiaoxin Li, Yi Long, Qin Zeng, Huijuan Li, Jiaxin Yu
Abstract
Ice accretion caused by freezing rain or snowstorms is a common phenomenon in cold climates that seriously threatens the safety and reliability of telecommunication lines and other overhead networks. Various anti-icing strategies have been demonstrated through surface engineering to delay ice formation. However, existing anti-icing surfaces still encounter several challenges; for example, surfaces are prone to ice-pinning formation due to the impact of supercooled droplets, which leads to a loss of anti-icing effectiveness. In this study, a mushroom-like cross-scale surface (MCS) with extreme pressure resistance and superior anti-ice-pinning property was reported. Specifically, the designed MCS, featuring multiscale microfeatures, re-entrant structure, heterogeneous sidewalls, and nanoscale particles, exhibits excellent anti-icing properties. Ice formation was determined to occur through a process involving liquid penetration, condensation, icing, and frost filling. By establishing an anti-ice -pinning model and a bubble column model, the relationship between structural characteristics and anti-icing performance was clarified. The MCS demonstrates excellent static liquid repellency (contact angle >167°) and robust dynamic impact resistance (water impact with Weber number ≥300). Furthermore, it exhibits an ultralow ice adhesion strength of 0.46 kPa. Notably, the ice adhesion strength remains below 5 kPa even after 15 deicing cycles. The anti-ice-pinning mechanism and robust icephobicity induced by the micromorphologies of MCS provide valuable insights for effective anti-icing prospects in telecommunication line surfaces and other areas in the field of information and communication technology.