Maintenance and recovery of superhydrophobic surfaces for drag reduction applications in marine environments: A review of mechanisms and strategies

Le résumé fourni par la source

Abstract Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) reduce hydrodynamic drag by sustaining an interfacial plastron that induces effective wall slip. However, in practical marine environments, this drag reduction effect is inherently transient. Its degradation mainly arises from the mechanical damage to micro/nanoscale surface features, together with instability or depletion of plastron. Consequently, researches have shifted from achieving initial drag reduction to maintaining and recovering performance under sustained mechanical stress and complex hydrodynamic conditions. This review critically examines recent advances in the maintenance and recovery of SHS drag reduction through surface engineering and external plastron regulation strategies. Degradation pathways associated with structural damage and wetting transitions are first summarized. Strategies for performance maintenance and then recovery are critically evaluated. These include mechanically robust and self-healing materials, framework structure, self-similar structure, armour-like structure, dual-scale structure, textured structure, wettability-gradient optimization, and plastron replenishment via physical, chemical, or active methods. By emphasizing durability and recoverability over static wettability, this review establishes design principles for developing superhydrophobic interfaces capable of sustained drag reduction in practical marine applications.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.