How Frost Forms and Grows on Lubricated Micro- And Nanostructured Surfaces
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-23-2021
Abstract
Frost is ubiquitously observed in nature whenever warmer and more humid air encounters colder than melting point surfaces (e.g., morning dew frosting). However, frost formation is problematic as it damages infrastructure, roads, crops, and the efficient operation of industrial equipment (i.e., heat exchangers, cooling fins). While lubricant-infused surfaces offer promising antifrosting properties, underlying mechanisms of frost formation and its consequential effect on frost-to-surface dynamics remain elusive. Here, we monitor the dynamics of condensation frosting on micro- and hierarchically structured surfaces (the latter combines micro- with nano- features) infused with lubricant, temporally and spatially resolved using laser scanning confocal microscopy. The growth dynamics of water droplets differs for micro- and hierarchically structured surfaces, by hindered drop coalescence on the hierarchical ones. However, the growth and propagation of frost dendrites follow the same scaling on both surface types. Frost propagation is accompanied by a reorganization of the lubricant thin film. We numerically quantify the experimentally observed flow profile using an asymptotic long-wave model. Our results reveal that lubricant reorganization is governed by two distinct driving mechanisms, namely: (1) frost propagation speed and (2) frost dendrite morphology. These in-depth insights into the coupling between lubricant flow and frost formation/propagation enable an improved control over frosting by adjusting the design and features of the surface.
Identifier
85103392191 (Scopus)
Publication Title
ACS Nano
External Full Text Location
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c09152
e-ISSN
1936086X
ISSN
19360851
PubMed ID
33647197
First Page
4658
Last Page
4668
Issue
3
Volume
15
Grant
722497
Fund Ref
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Recommended Citation
Hauer, Lukas; Wong, William S.Y.; Donadei, Valentina; Hegner, Katharina I.; Kondic, Lou; and Vollmer, Doris, "How Frost Forms and Grows on Lubricated Micro- And Nanostructured Surfaces" (2021). Faculty Publications. 4234.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/fac_pubs/4234