Surfaces with low adhesion to condensed water microdroplets

Condensed water droplets could coalesce and jump off the solid surfaces before icing occurs if solid surfaces are appropriately designed. Thus there is no freezable water on solid surfaces. The primarily energy barrier for the coalescence and jumping to happen is the adhesion of solid surfaces to condensed water microdrops.  By investigating the mechanism of adhesion between condensed water microdroplets and solid surfaces, we realize that condensed water microdroplets jump away from the solid surfaces under low external energy before nucleating occurs.

Surfaces with controllable ice adhesion

At high supercooling (e.g. -40 ℃or even lower), icing on the cold surface is unavoidable. By investigating the mechanism of adhesion between ice and solid substrates, we can achieve that the ice formed atop of a solid surface slides away under its gravity or an action of natural wind.

Bioinspired anti-icing surfaces

In polar region and desert, the temperature drops down as low as -50 ℃. Creatures such as polar fish and winter geometridae can survive in these severe cold areas. We constructed bioinspired anti-icing surfaces by investigating the mechanisms of these creatures in resisting the harsh cold.