Anti-icing performance and anti-corrosive properties of superhydrophobic nanosecond-laser-textured aluminum surfaces with a self-assembled monolayer coating

Može, Matic (author), Štrus, Tim (author), Štucin, Miha (author), Lovšin, Robert (author), Jereb, Samo (author), Hadžić, Armin (author), Zupančič, Matevž (author), Golobič, Iztok (author)

Water and ice accumulation on surfaces present significant challenges in numerous fields, causing issues such as corrosion of metallic surfaces and a broad range of problems associated with increased weight, altered hydro-/aerodynamics, vibrations, and heat transfer resistance. Currently, passive solutions, such as functionalized surfaces that also offer improved anti-corrosive properties, are being focused on. This study presents the fabrication and evaluation of four functionalized superhydrophobic surfaces on 1050A aluminum alloy samples using nanosecond laser texturing and self-assembled monolayer grafting to enhance anti-icing and corrosion protection. The developed surfaces exhibited superhydrophobicity with static and dynamic contact angles above 163° and a contact angle hysteresis below 2°, maintaining their nonwetting properties after multiple icing/deicing cycles. Three surfaces significantly lowered ice nucleation temperature with the lowest average value of -20.1 °C recorded on the surface with shallow, non-distinct features. The freezing delay was prolonged up to 468 % and 944 % at -15 °C and -20 °C, respectively, in comparison with the untreated reference surface. The superior anti-icing properties of the two surfaces with shallow structures, fabricated using a lower laser pulse fluence than those with deep structures, are ascribed to a lower number of potential active nucleation sites for condensation of water vapor and freezing initiation. In comparison with an untreated surface, ice adhesion was reduced by up to 60 % on surfaces with shallow features but increased between 33 % and 84 % on surfaces with deep morphological features. Repeatable cascade freezing was observed on one of the surfaces, which also exhibited the poorest anti-icing performance. Surfaces with non-distinct or irregular channels exhibited better corrosion properties than surfaces featuring well-defined laser-etched channels. The surface with the lowest surface roughness exhibited the best properties in all evaluations, providing a good starting point for future optimization with a focus on surfaces with micron scale and submicron features instead of the more traditional surfaces with structures on the scale of tens of microns. Overall, this functionalization approach is promising for industrial use, simultaneously offering enhanced robustness, anti-icing behavior, and corrosion protection.

• Language: English
• Keywords: superhydrophobic surfaces, freezing delay, icephobic surfaces, laser-textured surfaces, corrosion protection, aluminum
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 19 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 72, art. 107016
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182547
• UDC: 54
• ISSN on article: 2468-0230
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfin.2025.107016
• COBISS.SI-ID: 240991235
• Publication date in RUL: 15.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Surfaces and interfaces
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2468-0230
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526516249

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: hidrofobne površine, korozija, protikorozijska zaščita, sredstva proti zmrzovanju, aluminij