Interfacial Materials for Anti-Icing: Beyond Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

The design and fabrication of interfacial materials for anti-icing is of great importance, since undesired ice accumulation leads to serious economic, energy, and safety issues. Substantial progress on interfacial materials for the passive removal of ice has been achieved in the past three years. The present focus review critically summarizes and analyzes recent breakthroughs in interfacial materials for anti-icing. In particular, we focus on the effect of surface textures on the timely removal of water droplets, the microscopic mechanism of ice formation, and the effect of an interfacial layer's properties on easy shedding of formed ice with a view towards designing high-performance and durable interfacial materials for anti-icing beyond superhydrophobic materials.