Deicing Mechanisms of Two-Phase Skeleton/Gel Composites with Tunable Surface Moduli
Weiming Lin1,2, Haonan Song1,2, Conghui Dong1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 8, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed durable ice-phobic materials using porous skeleton-gel composites. The GIP-PU material demonstrated significantly reduced ice adhesion, showing promise for aerospace and transportation applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Engineering
- Tribology
Background:
- Ice accumulation poses significant hazards in aerospace, transportation, and energy systems.
- Development of durable ice-phobic materials is crucial for mitigating these risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and evaluate novel porous skeleton-gel composites for ice-phobic applications.
- To compare the deicing performance and durability of different composite formulations.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of two types of porous skeleton-gel composites: PDMS-infused polyurethane (GIP-PU) and PDMS-infused iron-nickel (GIP-IN).
- Comparative investigation of deicing performance under static and dynamic freezing conditions.
- Assessment of mechanical durability and chemical resistance.
Main Results:
- The GIP-PU1 composite (200 μm pore size) exhibited the lowest ice adhesion strength (1.9 kPa) under dynamic freezing conditions.
- Ice adhesion strength for GIP-PU1 was an order of magnitude lower than under static conditions.
- GIP-PU1 maintained low ice adhesion (<20 kPa) after mechanical and chemical durability tests.
Conclusions:
- Porous skeleton-gel composites, particularly GIP-PU1, demonstrate effective ice-phobic properties.
- Smaller pore sizes enhance deicing by promoting microcrack formation and reducing ice adhesion.
- The developed materials offer excellent mechanical and chemical stability for practical applications.
Keywords:
Anti-icing/deicingIce crackStress concentrationSurface modulusTwo-phase skeleton/gel compositesMore Related Videos
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