Photo-/Electrothermally Gated Slippery-Pore Surface for All-Weather Anti-/De-icing and Meltwater Drainage

Icing threatens the safe operation of aircraft, power facilities, wind turbine blades, and other engineering surfaces. Although existing superhydrophobic, photothermal, electrothermal, and drainage surfaces can individually delay freezing, actively melt ice, or transport liquids, most of them are static designs and therefore cannot simultaneously meet the conflicting requirements of water-repellent anti-icing before freezing and rapid drainage after ice melting. Here, we propose a slippery-pore-based photo–electro dual-mode gated anti-/de-icing surface, termed the porous epoxy actuated electrothermal superhydrophobic (PEAES) surface. In the closed state, the surface maintains superhydrophobic anti-icing properties. Under photothermal or electrothermal stimulation, the PI/graphene scales undergo thermally induced bending and expose the underlying slippery pores, enabling low-residue meltwater drainage. When the pores are blocked by ice, the embedded multiwalled carbon nanotube electrothermal layer can further restore the drainage pathway. The PEAES scales achieved reversible opening within 11 s under 1 sun irradiation and within 8 s under a 5 V electrothermal input. At –10 and –20 °C, PEAES exhibited prolonged freezing delay and a low ice adhesion strength of approximately 6 kPa. Under photothermal, electrothermal, and photo–electro synergistic modes, ice melting was completed within 11, 6, and 3 s, respectively. More importantly, PEAES reduced the residual meltwater after ice melting to nearly zero and decreased the secondary icing area ratio to 0%. This work coordinates anti-icing, de-icing, drainage, and recovery through gated state switching, providing a new structural strategy for adaptive anti-/de-icing and meltwater management across multiple energy-input conditions and successive icing stages.