Control of Ice Propagation by Using Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Coatings

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Science
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Ice accumulation on surfaces is a significant issue in various industries.
• Controlling ice propagation via surface modification is an underexplored area.
• Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) offer tunable surface properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the tuning of ice propagation on surfaces using PEM coatings.
• To understand the relationship between PEM structure and ice propagation dynamics.
• To develop a simple method for controlling ice accretion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition technique to create PEM coatings.
• Varied polyelectrolyte pairs, counterions, and salt concentrations during PEM preparation.
• Measured ice propagation rates on the fabricated PEM surfaces.

Main Results:

• Ice propagation rate strongly correlates with the amount of water in the outermost PEM layer.
• The ice propagation rate was tuned over three orders of magnitude.
• Tuning was achieved by altering polyelectrolyte pairs, counterions, and salt concentrations.

Conclusions:

• PEM coatings prepared via LBL deposition provide an effective method to tune ice propagation.
• The water content in the outermost layer is a critical factor in controlling ice spread.
• This versatile and cost-effective approach is applicable to a wide range of substrates.