Dynamic mitigation mechanisms of rime icing with propagating surface acoustic waves

Ice accretion on economically valuable and strategically important surfaces poses significant challenges. Current anti-/de-icing techniques often have critical issues regarding their efficiency, convenience, long-term stability, or sustainability. As an emerging ice mitigation strategy, the thin-film surface acoustic wave (SAW) has great potentials due to its high energy efficiency and effective integration on structural surfaces. However, anti-/de-icing processes activated by SAWs involve complex interfacial evolution and phase changes, and it is crucial to understand the nature of dynamic solid-liquid-vapor phase changes and ice nucleation, growth, and melting events under SAW agitation. In this study, we systematically investigated the accretion and removal of porous rime ice from structural surfaces activated by SAWs. We found that icing and de-icing processes are strongly linked with the dynamical interfacial phase and structure changes of rime ice under SAW activation and the acousto-thermally induced localized heating that facilitate the melting of ice crystals. Subsequently, interactions of SAWs with the formed thin water layer at the ice/structure interface result in significant streaming effects that lead to further damage and melting of ice, liquid pumping, jetting, or nebulization.