Metallic skeleton promoted two-phase durable icephobic layers.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering

Background:

• Ice accretion on surfaces poses significant risks in various industries, necessitating effective icephobic solutions.
• Current icephobic coatings often lack the durability required for long-term industrial service, presenting a critical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, durable icephobic surface material with enhanced ice protection capabilities.
• To address the limitations of existing icephobic surfaces concerning long-term mechanical durability.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase layer was fabricated by impregnating porous nickel (Ni) foam skeletons with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
• The resulting Ni foam/PDMS composite was evaluated for its icephobicity and mechanical durability through various tests, including water-sand erosion.

Main Results:

• The developed Ni foam/PDMS surface exhibited excellent icephobicity, characterized by low ice adhesion strength due to micro-crack initiation at the ice/solid interface.
• The material demonstrated superior mechanical durability, with surface morphology and icephobicity remaining largely unchanged after water-sand erosion.
• The combination of the robust Ni skeleton and the icephobic PDMS matrix resulted in a material with significant potential for long-term ice protection.

Conclusions:

• The novel Ni foam/PDMS two-phase layer effectively combines mechanical robustness with excellent icephobicity.
• This material shows great promise for applications requiring durable ice protection, overcoming the limitations of current icephobic technologies.