A Bioinspired Micro‐Grooved Structure for Low Snow Adhesion and Effective Snow‐Shedding

Many outdoor devices require effective snow prevention solutions, yet existing passive anti-icing technologies are inadequate for snow repellency due to the variability of snow properties. This study addresses this gap by proposing a bioinspired micro-grooved anti-snow structure that minimizes van der Waals forces through reduced contact area and mitigates capillary effects via a V-shaped design, facilitating the separation of liquid water at the interface. Snow-shedding performance is shown to be highly sensitive to surface roughness, with the periodic smoothness of micro-grooves significantly reducing mechanical interlocking with snow. In contrast, hierarchical superhydrophobic structures strongly interlock with ice grains, preventing spontaneous snow-shedding even at extremely low adhesion forces. By embedding superhydrophobic nanoparticles into the micro-groove structure, this study presents a multifunctional design that integrates anti-icing, anti-snow, and water-repellent properties. Experimental results demonstrate that the structure effectively balances adhesion reduction and snow-shedding performance, showing promising potential for photovoltaic solar power systems and large-scale architectural applications.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2025-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202500839
Citations
15
Primary Topic
Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.92

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A Bioinspired Micro‐Grooved Structure for Low Snow Adhesion and Effective Snow‐Shedding

Yang He, Zexiang Yan, Weizheng Yuan, Kun Zhang et al.
15 citations
Advanced Materials
Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
9.92
article

A Bioinspired Micro‐Grooved Structure for Low Snow Adhesion and Effective Snow‐Shedding

Yang He, Zexiang Yan, Weizheng Yuan, Kun Zhang, Zeyu Kong, Yalin Tang
article en
15 citations

Abstract

Many outdoor devices require effective snow prevention solutions, yet existing passive anti-icing technologies are inadequate for snow repellency due to the variability of snow properties. This study addresses this gap by proposing a bioinspired micro-grooved anti-snow structure that minimizes van der Waals forces through reduced contact area and mitigates capillary effects via a V-shaped design, facilitating the separation of liquid water at the interface. Snow-shedding performance is shown to be highly sensitive to surface roughness, with the periodic smoothness of micro-grooves significantly reducing mechanical interlocking with snow. In contrast, hierarchical superhydrophobic structures strongly interlock with ice grains, preventing spontaneous snow-shedding even at extremely low adhesion forces. By embedding superhydrophobic nanoparticles into the micro-groove structure, this study presents a multifunctional design that integrates anti-icing, anti-snow, and water-repellent properties. Experimental results demonstrate that the structure effectively balances adhesion reduction and snow-shedding performance, showing promising potential for photovoltaic solar power systems and large-scale architectural applications.

Advanced MaterialsVol. 37(21)
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (CN), Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
9.92
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.