Objectives

Initial hypothesis and overview of the action

SH surfaces, where drops exhibit minimal contact angle hysteresis and can easily roll off the surface, are suitable for promoting the early removal of water, nucleating condensate, freezing water and ice. However, the mechanical, thermal, and environmental robustness of SH surfaces should be further assessed for real-world applications.

The goal is to develop and understand the behavior of LR surfaces that ultimately may have military applications. The long-term vision is to find a simple and low-cost process for fabricating LR surfaces on large area engineering substrates operating in harsh environments such as in military environments. The current proposal will allow developing technologies for application to advanced materials, in line with the key enabling technologies identified in “Horizon 2020”, and in particular, for incorporating innovative technological solutions into security and defence applications (CHALLENGE ON SECURITY, PROTECTION AND DEFENCE- TECHNOLOGIES FOR APPLICATION TO PLATFORMS).

 Specific objectives

Four specific short term goals as building-blocks for the global vision of the research program are shown in Figure 3. These are four interrelated themes, but each independently also cover important areas of drop-surface interactions/engineering.

1. Design and preparation of durable LR surfaces with superhydrophobic properties and real-world performance.
2. Contact angle hysteresis, roll-off behavior and superhydrophobicity stability of the LR surfaces to assure their liquid repellency.
3. Macro- and micro-mechanics of the LR surfaces to assure their functional robustness.
4. Performance of the LR surfaces operating under severely adverse conditions, with special attention to icephobicity.

Work Packages

WP 1. Preparation of liquid-repellent surfaces

Objective: Design and preparation of LR surfaces with superhydrophobic properties.

WP 2. Topography and morphology

Objective: Evaluation of topographical features of the LR surfaces at micro-and nanoscale.

WP 3. Contact angle hysteresis

Objective: Evaluation of contact angle hysteresis, roll-off behavior and superhydrophobicity stability of the LR surfaces.

WP 4. Mechanics of liquid-repellent surfaces

Objective: Evaluation of mechanical properties of the LR surfaces to assure their functional robustness.

WP 5. Performance of liquid-repellent surfaces

Objective: Evaluation of the performance of the LR surfaces operating under realistic conditions, with special attention to icephobicity.

Milestones

	Milestone name	Date	Verification
M1	Validation of model LR surfaces	Month 6	AFM, ESEM, WLCM, wettability, drop impact/vibration
M2	Validation of polymer/nanoparticle composites as LR surfaces	Month 12	AFM, ESEM, WLCM wettability, drop impact/vibration
M3	Validation of micro/nano-textured hydrophobic coatings as LR surfaces	Month 18	AFM, ESEM, WLCM wettability, drop impact/vibration
M4	Mechanical durability of LR surfaces	Month 24	Thickness, tape peel test, abrasion resistance
M5	“Simulated” performance of LR surfaces	Month 26	Underwater testing, thermal cycling, frost formation
M6	Icephobicity of LR surfaces	Month 36	Ice adhesion strength, field-tests in ski resort during sky season