Durability of Superhydrophobic Laser-Treated Metal Surfaces under Icing Conditions

Abstract Ice accretion on external surfaces of aircraft due to the impingement of supercooled liquid water droplets can be tackled by the implementation of icephobic surfaces. Among these, superhydrophobic surfaces represent a promising solution, due to their water repellent nature. In the last decade, short/ultra-short pulsed laser technologies have been proposed as a one-step process to manufacture superhydrophobic surfaces. However, the effectiveness and durability of such surfaces in operational icing conditions has not yet been validated. In this work, we investigate ice adhesion strength and the chemical stability of metal alloys textured with a UV nanosecond laser via Direct Laser Writing.