It is of great significance to grasp the role of surface topography in de-icing, which however remains unclear yet. Herein, four textured surfaces are developed by regulating surface topography while keeping surface chemistry and material constituents same. Specifically, nano-textures are maintained and micro-textures are gradually enlarged. The resultant ice adhesion strength is proportional to a topography parameter, i.e. areal fraction of the micro-textures, owing to the localized bonding strengthening, which is verified by ice detachment simulation using finite element method. Moreover, the decisive topography parameter is demonstrated to be determined by the interfacial strength distribution between ice and test surface. Such parameters vary from paper to paper due to different interfacial strength distributions corresponding to respective situations. Furthermore, since hydrophobic and de-icing performance may rely on different topography parameters, there is no certain relationship between hydrophobicity and de-icing.
The role of surface topography in de-icing is verified to be determined by the interfacial strength distribution between ice and surface experimentally and numerically, unveiling the relationship between hydrophobicity and de-icing.

Photothermal materials have gained considerable attention in the field of anti-/de-icing due to its environmental friendliness and energy saving. However, it is always significantly challenging to obtain solar thermal materials with hierarchical structure and simultaneously demonstrate both the ultra-long icing delay ability and the superior photothermal de-icing ability. Here, a photothermal icephobic MOF-based micro and nanostructure surface (MOF-MNS) is presented, which consists of micron groove structure and fluorinated MOF nanowhiskers. The optimal MOF-M250 NS can achieve solar absorption of over 98% and produce a high temperature increment of 65.5 °C under 1-sun illumination. Such superior photothermal-conversion mechanism of MOF-M250 NS is elucidated in depth. In addition, the MOF-M250 NS generates an ultra-long icing delay time of ≈3960 s at -18 °C without solar illumination, achieving the longest delay time, which isn\'t reported before. Due to its excellent solar-to-heat conversation ability, accumulated ice and frost on MOF-M250 NS can be rapidly melted within 720 s under 1-sun illumination and it also holds a high de-icing rate of 5.8 kg m-2 h-1 . MOF-M250 NS possesses the versatility of mechanical robustness, chemical stability, and low temperature self-cleaning, which can synergistically reinforce the usage of icephobic surfaces in harsh conditions.

Traffic accidents caused by road icing are a serious global problem, and conventional de-icing methods like spraying chemicals have several limitations, including excessive manpower management, road damage, and environmental pollution. In this study, the carbon nanotubes reinforced de-icing coating for the road system with a self-heating function was developed as part of the development of a new system to prevent accidents caused by road icing. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated coating were analyzed, and the carbon nanotube coating heating performance experiment was conducted to measure the temperature increments by applying a voltage to the coating at a sub-zero temperature using an environmental chamber. In addition, the coating was installed on the road pavement and the applicability was investigated through a heating test in winter. As a result of the experiment, the coating made with the higher carbon nanotube concentration presented higher heating owing to its higher electrical conductivity. In addition, the coating showed sufficient heating performance, although the maximum temperature by Joule heating decreased for the entire coating at sub-zero temperatures. Finally, field tests demonstrated the potential of electrically conductive coatings for de-icing applications.

Ice protection techniques have attracted significant interest, notably in aerospace and wind energy applications. However, the current solutions are mostly costly and inconvenient due to energy-intensive and environmental concerns. One of the appealing strategies is the use of passive icephobicity, in the form of coatings, which is induced by means of several material strategies, such as hydrophobicity, surface texturing, surface elasticity, and the physical infusion of ice-depressing liquids, etc. In this review, surface-roughness-related icephobicity is critically discussed to understand the challenges and the role of roughness, especially on superhydrophobic surfaces. Surface roughness as an intrinsic, independent surface property for anti-icing and de-icing performance is also debated, and their interdependence is explained using the related physical mechanisms and thermodynamics of ice nucleation. Furthermore, the role of surface roughness in the case of elastomeric or low-modulus polymeric coatings, which typically instigate an easy release of ice, is examined. In addition to material-centric approaches, the influence of surface roughness in de-icing evaluation is also explored, and a comparative assessment is conducted to understand the testing sensitivity to various surface characteristics. This review exemplifies that surface roughness plays a crucial role in incorporating and maintaining icephobic performance and is intrinsically interlinked with other surface-induced icephobicity strategies, including superhydrophobicity and elastomeric surfaces. Furthermore, the de-icing evaluation methods also appear to be roughness sensitive in a certain range, indicating a dominant role of mechanically interlocked ice.

The aeronautical industry demands facile lightweight and low-cost solutions to address climate crisis challenges. Graphene can be a valid candidate to tackle these functionalities, although its upscalability remains difficult to achieve. Consequently, graphene-related materials (GRM) are gathering massive attention as top-down graphite exfoliation processes at the industrial scale are feasible and often employed. In this work, environmentally friendly produced partially oxidized graphene nanosheets (POGNs) reduced by green solvents such as l-Ascorbic Acid to rGNs are proposed to deliver functional coatings based on a glass fiber composite or coated Al2024 T3 for strategic R&D questions in the aeronautical industry, i.e., low energy production, de-icing, and water uptake. In detail, energy efficiency in rGNs production is assessed via response-surface modeling of the powder conductivity, hence proposing an optimized reduction window. De-Icing functionality is verified by measuring the stable electrothermal property of an rGNs based composite over 24 h, and water uptake is elucidated by evaluating electrochemical and corrosion properties. Moreover, a mathematical model is proposed to depict the relation between the layers\' sheet resistance and applied rGNs mass per area, which extends the system to other graphene-related materials, conductive two-dimensional materials, and various substrates. To conclude, the proposed system based on rGNs and epoxy paves the way for future multifunctional coatings, able to enhance the resistance of surfaces, such as airplane wings, in a flight harsh environment.

In this study, CNTs and graphite have been incorporated to provide electrical conductivity and self-heating capacity by Joule effect to an epoxy matrix. Additionally, both types of fillers, with different morphology, surface area and aspect ratio, were simultaneously incorporated (hybrid CNTs and graphite addition) into the same epoxy matrix to evaluate the effect of the self-heating capacity of carbon materials-based resins on de-icing and ice-prevention capacity. The self-heating capacity by Joule effect and the thermal conductivity of the differently filled epoxy resin were evaluated for heating applications at room temperature and at low temperatures for de-icing and ice-prevention applications. The results show that the higher aspect ratio of the CNTs determined the higher electrical conductivity of the epoxy resin compared to that of the epoxy resin filled with graphite, but the 2D morphology of graphite produced the higher thermal conductivity of the filled epoxy resin. The presence of graphite enhanced the thermal stability of the filled epoxy resin, helping avoid its deformation produced by the softening of the epoxy resin (the higher the thermal conductivity, the higher the heat dissipation), but did not contribute to the self-heating by Joule effect. On the other hand, the feasibility of electrically conductive epoxy resins for de-icing and ice-prevention applications by Joule effect was demonstrated.

Increasing chloride concentrations from road salt applications are an emerging threat to freshwater diversity in cold weather regions. Few studies have focused on how road salt affects freshwater biota and even fewer have focused on how the rate of exposure alters organism responses. We hypothesized that road salt concentrations delivered gradually would result in slower population declines and more rapid rebounds due to evolved tolerance. To test this hypothesis, we examined the responses of freshwater lake organisms to four environmentally relevant salt concentrations (100, 230, 860, and 1600 mg Cl-/L) that differed in application rate (abrupt vs. gradual). We used outdoor aquatic mesocosms containing zooplankton, filamentous algae, phytoplankton, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates. We found negative effects of road salt on zooplankton and macroinvertebrate abundance, but positive effects on phytoplankton and periphyton, likely resulting from reduced grazing. Only rarely did we detect a difference between abrupt vs gradual salt applications and the directions of those differences were not consistent. This affirms the need for additional research on how road salt pollution entering ecosystems at different frequencies and magnitudes will alter freshwater communities.

The accumulation of ice in winter has brought many problems in industrial production and everyday life, and how to prevent icing or remove ice rapidly has aroused great attention from researchers in recent years. In this work, we demonstrated a strategy of using a superhydrophobic photothermal and thermal isolation macroporous xerogel (PMX) to delay icing and remove ice efficiently under faint sunlight irradiation. An oriented macroporous xerogel was prepared by an ice templating method, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes acting as the photothermal genesis component under sunlight irradiation were introduced into the xerogel. After fluorination, the PMX presented a robust water repellency and delayed icing. More importantly, numerous macropores in the PMX matrix acted as the thermal barrier that can restrict heat transmission to surroundings at maximum, which guarantees efficient anti-icing and de-icing in low temperature. Water on the PMX surface can never freeze at -30 °C under 0.25 kW/m2 (\"0.25 sun\") sunlight irradiation. The outdoor experiment also has confirmed the availability of PMX in a natural winter environment. The PMX integrated with thermogenesis and thermo-isolation functions provides a new route for highly efficient anti-icing and de-icing.

OBJECTIVE: Ice accretion is a challenging issue for various residential activities and industrial facilities. However, most of the current anti/de-icing coatings fail to maintain their properties when subject to frequent mechanical wear, and their limited functionality (either anti-icing or de-icing individually) cannot meet the requirement of all-weather utilization.
METHODS: Herein, a multifunctional superhydrophobic coating is prepared by compositing ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) with fluorinated epoxy resin via an inverse infiltration process. The surface composition, morphology and wettability are systematically characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), laser scanning microscopy and contact angle tensiometer. The anti-icing and de-icing performances are evaluated by investigating the freezing delay and photothermal effect, respectively.
RESULTS: This coating shows outstanding water repellency (water contact angle up to 161.0°, sliding angle down to 1.4°) and can maintain superhydrophobicity within 400 cycles of tape peeling, 260 cycles of sandpaper abrasion or 25 cycles of sand impact. Besides, because the hydrophobic nano/micro hierarchical structures tremendously retard the heat transfer, the freezing process of water droplet on this coating can be apparently delayed by up to 35 min as compared to the uncoated substrate. Moreover, owing to the photothermal effect of the Fe3O4 NPs, the coating\'s surface temperature can be rapidly increased above 0 °C under infrared irradiation, which facilitates the ice melting on cold surfaces. Our work offers a versatile approach to address the icing problems in diverse weather conditions, which exhibits great prospects in various engineering applications.

Resource utilization of industrial waste is a significant global challenge. Steel slag, a typical industrial by-product in the steel-making process, pollutes the environment and causes ecological deterioration. In this study, steel slag was recycled in chip seals as the aggregate, and the functional and environmental performance of the chip seal with recycled steel slag was determined. Economic costs were also discussed and compared with conventional surface layers. The results indicated that recycling steel slag as the aggregate in chip seal has a lower pollution risk and higher environmental benefits compared with those used for landfilling and dumping. Steel slag can significantly increase the heating and de-icing efficiencies of chip seal compared with basalt, particularly for microwave heating. The self-bonded function represented by the durability of aggregate retention can be enhanced by steel slag. The cost of the chip seal containing steel slag and steel fiber is only increased by 0.14 USD/m2 than that of ordinary chip seal, indicating a remarkable economic efficiency of chip seal with de-icing and self-bonded functions.