Scale deposition severely degrades the warmth switch effectivity of thermal administration methods, resulting in substantial vitality waste and even vital security dangers. [1], [2] As a ubiquitous warmth switch medium, water inevitably promotes mineral precipitation, which additional induces scale formation by way of floor nucleation and adhesion. This challenge plagues various fields—together with thermal energy era, seawater desalination, and meals processing—inflicting vital vitality losses: scale, with its inherently low thermal conductivity (0.2–3 W m⁻¹ Okay⁻¹), acts as a thermal barrier that undermines system effectivity. [3], [4] Notably, knowledge from the 14th Warmth Exchanger Fouling and Cleansing Convention reveal that extra vitality consumption attributed to scaling accounts for ∼2.5 % of world carbon emissions, [5] whereas in China alone, scale deposition in industrial boilers wastes roughly 17 million tons of uncooked coal yearly. [6] On this context, creating efficient methods to inhibit scale formation is crucial for advancing vitality conservation and mitigating carbon emissions.
To deal with the vital problem of scale deposition, quite a lot of scalephobic supplies have been developed, leveraging distinct barrier layers: water layers from superhydrophilic surfaces, [1], [7], [8] air layers from superhydrophobic surfaces, [9], [10] and oil layers from liquid-infused surfaces. [11], [12], [13] Whereas these supplies exhibit wonderful anti-scaling efficiency underneath comparatively delicate situations (< 70 °C), they fail to satisfy sensible calls for [14], [15] as a result of inherent instability of their barrier layers underneath harsh environments—most notably, excessive temperatures. [16], [17], [18] Thus, integrating high-temperature tolerance with enhanced thermal conductivity represents a promising technique to deal with the pressing want for vitality conservation in industrial settings.
The adhesive coating, counting on its wonderful substrate adaptability and multi-component compatibility, offers a common resolution for floor remedy in various fields. [19] Natural adhesives reminiscent of epoxy resin and latex readily failure and are environmentally unfriendly as a result of chemical bond cleavage and molecular degradation beneath 200 °C, with potential launch of unstable natural compounds. [20] To keep away from these issues, inorganic adhesives reminiscent of aluminum phosphate (AP) have been developed, demonstrating high-temperature resistance, wonderful sturdiness and environmental friendliness. [21] For instance, the flame lithium-sulfur batteries could be successfully extinguished by merely 2 wt% of AP, whereas a excessive capability retention of 99.1 % after 500 cycles displays the good sturdiness. [22] Notably, AP can kind a steady crosslinked community construction with metallic oxides, [23] thereby enabling sturdy bonding in excessive temperature environments. Curiously, crosslinked AP (cAP) progressively hydrolyzes in aqueous options, [24] releasing phosphate ions that will inhibit scale by chelating mineral ions. This distinctive property motivated our exploration of AP-based coatings for high-temperature scale inhibition. Typically, the thermal conductivity of the coating could be considerably enhanced by incorporating thermally conductive fillers (e.g., hexagonal boron nitride, hBN), [25] which set up steady warmth switch pathways inside the matrix. [26], [27], [28] Thus, the mixing of AP and hBN might stop mineral deposition, thereby attaining energy-saving underneath extreme environments.
Herein, we report a dynamic hydration layer-synergistic ion-releasing (DHLIR) coating that demonstrates vital energy-saving potential, enabled by ultrahigh scale resistance and enhanced thermal conductivity underneath boiling situations. This coating holds nice promise for functions in thermal administration gear reminiscent of industrial boilers (Figs. 1a and 1b). By way of a mix of spray coating and warmth remedy, the DHLIR coating was simply fabricated on a large-area substrate (35 cm × 15 cm) utilizing a mix of aluminum phosphate (AP), TiO₂ nanoparticles, and hBN nanosheets (Fig. 1c). The hydration layer of the DHLIR acts as a bodily barrier, successfully stopping mineral ions (e.g., Ca²⁺) from adsorbing onto the floor and nucleating. Moreover, phosphate ions launched from AP operate as a scale inhibitor, chelating Ca²⁺ ions to kind flocculent precipitates (e.g., amorphous calcium phosphate, ACP) with ultra-low interfacial adhesion. Owing to thermal crosslinking between AP and metallic oxide nanoparticles (e.g., TiO₂), the DHLIR coating displays sturdy sturdiness underneath harsh situations, together with excessive temperatures, mechanical abrasion, and chemical corrosion. Leveraging the synergistic results of superior scale resistance and enhanced thermal conductivity, the DHLIR coating achieved a ∼15.3 % discount in electrical vitality consumption after a 120-h scaling take a look at (Fig. 1b), highlighting its potential for vitality financial savings in industrial settings. In contrast with beforehand reported anti-scaling supplies, [1], [7], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42], [43] the DHLIR coating displays high-efficiency scale resistance (>90 %) underneath boiling situations (Fig. 1e), underscoring its superiority in high-temperature eventualities. Thus, the DHLIR coating reveals nice promise for functions in high-temperature anti-scaling eventualities reminiscent of industrial boilers.
