Laser-engineered microchannels with liquid infusion for anti-icing and de-icing of additively manufactured metals

Mohammad Mohammadzadeh Sanandaji; Hao Fu; Hongtao Ding

doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133456

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Laser-engineered microchannels with liquid infusion for anti-icing and de-icing of additively manufactured metals

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Laser-engineered microchannels with liquid infusion for anti-icing and de-icing of additively manufactured metals

Mohammad Mohammadzadeh Sanandaji, Hao Fu and Hongtao Ding

Surface & coatings technology, Vol.528, 133456

05/15/2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133456

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Abstract

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) inherently produces metallic surfaces with high roughness and porosity, which limits their direct use in applications requiring low interfacial adhesion and controlled liquid mobility. In this work, a scalable strategy is presented for fabricating slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) directly on as-printed L-PBF Ti6Al4V and AlSi10Mg alloys. Laser surface texturing using nanosecond and picosecond pulsed lasers was employed to restructure the irregular AM surface topography into well-defined microchannel networks that act as capillary reservoirs for lubricant retention. Following fluorosilane functionalization and silicone oil infusion, the resulting SLIPS exhibited static water contact angles exceeding 105° and sliding angles below 10°. Compared with untreated and laser-textured substrates, ice adhesion strength was reduced from approximately 370–460 kPa to ∼65 kPa for Ti6Al4V and ∼ 90 kPa for AlSi10Mg. The fabricated SLIPS maintained stable performance during repeated icing and deicing cycles and after mechanical abrasion, thermal exposure, and ultraviolet irradiation, indicating good durability and self-replenishing behavior. Overall, this work demonstrates a direct and versatile route for integrating SLIPS functionality with additively manufactured metal alloys, bridging L-PBF and laser surface engineering to enable durable anti-icing surfaces for aerospace, marine, and energy applications. •SLIPS are fabricated directly on as-printed L-PBF Ti6Al4V and AlSi10Mg using laser texturing, without polishing or etching.•Laser-engineered microchannels enable stable lubricant retention on inherently rough additively manufactured surfaces.•Ice adhesion is reduced by ∼80% and freezing is significantly delayed compared with untreated surfaces.•The SLIPS exhibit robust durability under repeated icing, abrasion, thermal exposure, and UV irradiation.

Laser powder bed fusion

Laser processing

Slippery liquid-infused porous surface

Details

Title: Subtitle: Laser-engineered microchannels with liquid infusion for anti-icing and de-icing of additively manufactured metals
Creators: Mohammad Mohammadzadeh Sanandaji - Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
Hao Fu - Laser Operations (United States)
Hongtao Ding - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Surface & coatings technology, Vol.528, 133456
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2026.133456
ISSN: 0257-8972
eISSN: 1879-3347
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
Grant note: National Science Foundation: 2242763
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 2242763. We also appreciate the assistance from Prof. C. Lamuta at the University of Iowa for surface profile measurements.
Language: English
Date published: 05/15/2026
Academic Unit: Mechanical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9985153388002771

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