In the process of electrolytic aluminum production, the adhesion between molten aluminum and reduction cells or other equipment is easy to occur, causing problems such as increased maintenance costs of molten aluminum production equipment and large production waste pollution. Solving the problem of adhesion between molten aluminum and solid surface has significant economic and environmental benefits.<br/>Inspired by the superhydrophobic surfaces in nature,the micro-nano structure which composed of 81 equidistant rectangular blocks with the size of 0.8*0.8*0.8 nm for each is introduced into the substrate surface. The wettability of molten aluminum droplets on smooth and shaped silicon substrates at 973K was studied by molecular dynamics simulation (MD). The results show that the shaped surface makes the equilibrium contact angle and the wetting radius change to 130° and 2nm, which are 108.6° and 3.2nm compared with the smooth surface,although it has little effect on the diffusion rate of molten aluminum droplets. Equilibrium molten aluminum droplet on the shaped surface is in Cassie state.Therefore,the rectangular micro-nano structure designed can improve the aluminophobicity of silicon substrate,which can provide a reference for solving the problem of adhesion between molten aluminum and solid wall in the process of electrolytic aluminum production.

Effect of rectangular micro-nano structure on aluminophobicity of silicon substrate surface: A molecular dynamics study

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