Natural Icing as a Critical Challenge for Anti-Icing Slippery Conductors

Slippery, lubricant-infused porous surfaces demonstrate excellent anti-icing performance in the laboratory. However, natural icing is a vital challenge for the slippery surface in the application of transmission conductors, and related field studies are limited. Herein, the anti-icing behavior of a 77 nm pore-sized slippery conductor was systematically investigated under natural icing environments, and a comprehensive comparison with laboratory-simulated icing conditions was further conducted. The prepared slippery conductor exhibits excellent anti-icing performance under natural conditions (contact angle 103°, ice adhesion strength 6.8 kPa). Compared to the original conductor, it reduces ice accretion by 75% in simulated laboratory tests and 56% under natural icing. It also effectively delays the freezing of condensed droplets in low-temperature and high-humidity natural atmospheres. Surprisingly, the anti-icing mechanism of the slippery conductor in the natural environment was found to differ substantially from that in laboratory tests. Under simulated conditions, transparent ice forms directly from freezing liquid water and continuously thickens. In contrast, during natural icing, slow condensate sliding and water vapor sublimation cause the surface to be initially covered by ice particles. These particles develop into a loose ice layer with weak adhesion to the substrate, which can readily shed under environmental factors.