Hydrophobic surfaces for control and enhancement of water phase transitions

Surface wettability has emerged as a powerful tool to influence phase change phenomena such as ice formation and steam condensation. Ice mitigation using passive coatings offers tremendous promise; however, there remain several fundamental, durability- and manufacturing-related challenges that need to be addressed to harness the benefits of these coatings. Challenges limiting industrial utilization of such coatings can be classified into three categories: fundamental (frost buildup, non-zero ice adhesion, bulk ice nucleation, variable icing conditions), durability- related (harsh environment resistance, liquid impact resistance, erosion, fatigue), and manufacturing-related (scalability, coating economics). The role of passive surfaces in enhancing condensation heat transfer is a potential game changer in power plant efficiency enhancement; however, the benefits of such coatings will only be realized when durability and manufacturing challenges have been fully addressed.