Search

AbstractIn this work, we investigated the contribution of surface energy to predict the nucleation initiation for anti-icing purposes. The Gibbs free energy was calculated on flat and micro surfaces to verify the influence of wettability and morphology in the phase transition delaying. Surfaces with different surface energies were generated on Si substrates by the lithography method and followed by an energy chemical compounds coating process. The same morphology surfaces then underwent Ultra Violet – Ozone treatment to generate a wide range of wettability from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic. Two groups of flat and structured surfaces were then simultaneously used to emphasize the contribution of heat transfer delaying and prohibiting nucleation. A high-speed camera and a stopwatch were used to determine the phase change moment and icing time. The energy barrier for nucleation documented the good agreement with measured icing time, demonstrating the importance of surface energy and suggesting a paradigm for ice-phobic surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]