Preparation of large-area superhydrophobic and anti-icing 3D micro-nano-structures using femtosecond Bessel beams with fluorination treatment

This study proposes a simple strategy for overcoming the adverse effects of icing on material surfaces and improving the anti-icing performance of these surfaces. First, a femtosecond Gaussian beam is transformed into a femtosecond Bessel beam through spatial shaping to improve its energy distribution in the propagation direction while avoiding the adverse effects of defocusing during processing, thereby achieving large-area, consistent micro-nano-fabrication. Subsequently, the surface wettability of the considered material is controlled through the preparation of a functionalized three-dimensional micro-nano-structure using fluorination, transforming the material surface from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic, thereby directly preventing the adhesion of subcooled droplets. Static-droplet condensation tests and dynamic anti-icing tests in simulated freezing-rain environments demonstrated that the proposed strategy can considerably increase the droplet condensation time and reduce the amount of surface icing. Overall, the strategy provides an efficient, high-quality, highly reproducible solution to the problem of surface icing.