In a series of experiments using thermal gradient “cool water-warm substrate”, an increase of number and sizes of surface gaseous nanostructures during an increase of the temperature difference was found to give rise to a decrease of surface hydrophobicity.

It was established that the higher the surface inhomogeneity, the shorter the time of water freezing. In case of HOPG, an extremely long lifetime of overcooled to -20 °C water of ~100 min was observed when surface gas nanostructures persisted. This can be understood in terms of a “gas screening” of surface inhomogeneity which could potentially act as ice nucleation centers.