Research introduction / Energy & Buildings, Volume 327 (2025) 115109
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This paper studies how regular grooved microstructures affect water droplet freezing on superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces.
Groove spacings from 40 to 400 μm were fabricated by femtosecond laser processing and combined with a low-surface-energy coating. Droplet freezing time, shape change, and freezing-front motion were measured.
The 100 μm spacing surface showed the best anti-icing behavior, with a contact angle of 163.14° and a freezing time of 707.917 s at -15 °C. The freezing front changed from convex to concave during growth.
The study provides a structure-design reference for anti-icing materials used in refrigeration, low-temperature equipment, and outdoor surfaces.
This study shows that a 100 μm grooved superhydrophobic microstructure markedly delays droplet freezing and clarifies the importance of microstructure spacing in anti-icing surface design.