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Bioinspired robust top-perforated micro-conical array of TC4 surface fabricated by pulsed laser ablation for enhanced anti-icing property

  • Metals & corrosion
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Abstract

The poor wear performance of passive anti-icing micro/nano-structured TC4 surface restricts its wide applications in engineering field. Interestingly, it was observed that microstructure of sled dog hair exhibits a low-temperature-adaptive property to keep away from ice accumulation by the perforations located in the center of the hair shaft and the cuticle of lobster claw reveals extraordinary mechanical strength with micro-porous structures. In this work, bioinspired top-perforated micro-conical array structure is proposed on TC4 surfaces compatible with anti-icing property and mechanical durability. The microstructured unit is composed of a micro-conical frustum and a perforated micro-hole on the top, which could be fabricated on TC4 via direct nanosecond ultraviolet laser processing. The delayed freezing time of the water droplet on the bioinspired surface can be significantly extended by 18 times, exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity with WCAs exceeding 164°. Meanwhile, the bioinspired anti-icing surface shows excellent wear resistance by both abrasion and water impinging tests, where the delayed freezing time does not obviously decrease after 30 mins’ continuous water impinging. The top-perforation of the micro-conical could enhance the anti-icing property and durability simultaneously and the results were explained based on finite element analysis. The proposed bioinspired TC4 structure fabricated by pulsed laser ablation has great engineering potentials in extremely cold and humid environments.

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Abbreviations

TPMCS:

Top-perforated micro-conical surface

WCA:

Water contact angle

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 62175203), Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Programme (No. 2020H0006), Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province Applied Research Project (No. RD2020050301), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2020A1515010519).

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  1. Zhekun Chen and Rui Zhou have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Aerospace Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Zhekun Chen, Rui Zhou, Huangping Yan, Yuhang Lin, Weipeng Huang & Gongfa Yuan

  2. Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen, 361005, China

    Zhekun Chen & Rui Zhou

  3. Shenzhen Research Institute of Xiamen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China

    Huangping Yan

  4. Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jingqin Cui

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  1. Zhekun Chen
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Correspondence to Rui Zhou.

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Chen, Z., Zhou, R., Yan, H. et al. Bioinspired robust top-perforated micro-conical array of TC4 surface fabricated by pulsed laser ablation for enhanced anti-icing property. J Mater Sci 57, 8890–8903 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-022-07194-9

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