Geometry optimization of laser-induced stress concentration sites on hydrophobic surfaces for low ice adhesion

Hadžić, Armin (author), Može, Matic (author)

Water and ice accumulation on engineering surfaces present significant challenges in numerous applications by increasing weight, altering aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance, inducing vibrations, and reducing operational reliability. Passive low-ice-adhesion surfaces therefore represent a promising strategy for reducing the energy and mechanical load needed for ice removal. One possible approach is to introduce controlled surface features that promote stress concentration at the ice–solid interface and facilitate ice detachment. However, if such features are too densely distributed or too large, they may also increase mechanical interlocking with ice. Therefore, this study investigates how the size and pitch of laser-induced square features affect the ice adhesion strength of hydrophobized aluminum surfaces. Square features were fabricated on 1050 A aluminum alloy by nanosecond laser texturing and subsequently functionalized with a thin PDMS coating. The side length of the square spots was varied between 150 and 300 μm, while the center-to-center pitch was systematically varied from 0.5 to 4.0 mm. The surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and apparent static contact angle measurements, while ice adhesion strength was evaluated by horizontal shear detachment of a 20 × 20 × 20 mm$^{3}$ ice cube at −20 °C. The results showed that spot pitch is the key geometrical parameter governing ice adhesion. At the smallest pitch of 0.5 mm, all textured surfaces exhibited higher ice adhesion than the bare reference surface, indicating that densely arranged features promoted mechanical interlocking rather than crack-assisted debonding. With increasing pitch, ice adhesion decreased and reached a minimum at intermediate pitch values, reducing adhesion by up to 65% relative to the PDMS-coated reference surface. These findings show that laser-induced surface geometry must be carefully optimized, since the same type of surface feature can either reduce or increase ice adhesion depending on its size and spacing.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ice adhesion strength, anti-icing, laser texturing, stress concentration, PDMS, hydrophobic surfaces, crack initiation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, no. 3, art. 035014
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185192
• UDC: 621.9.048:532.21
• ISSN on article: 2515-7639
• DOI: 10.1088/2515-7639/ae8bda
• COBISS.SI-ID: 286116611
• Publication date in RUL: 27.07.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: JPhys materials
• Shortened title: JPhys mater.
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• ISSN: 2515-7639
• COBISS.SI-ID: 529763097

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: adhezijska trdnost ledu, zaviranje zmrzovanja, lasersko teksturiranje, koncentracija napetosti, PDMS, hidrofobne površine, razpoke

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0223
• Name: Prenos toplote in snovi

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J2-50085
• Name: Raziskave medfaznih pojavov kapljic in mehurčkov na funkcionaliziranih površinah ob uporabi napredne diagnostike za razvoj okoljskih tehnologij prihodnosti in izboljšanega prenosa toplote (DroBFuSE)