Toward durable anti/de-icing technologies: liquid-like surfaces with engineered abrasion resistance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Engineering

Background:

• Ice accretion on critical infrastructure like aircraft and high-speed railways poses significant economic and safety risks.
• Surface-based anti/de-icing strategies, including slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) and stable hydrophobic surfaces (SHS), have shown promise but face durability challenges.
• Recent advancements focus on liquid-like surfaces (LLS) utilizing grafted functional polymers to enhance the durability and performance of anti/de-icing coatings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review the wetting and anti/de-icing mechanisms of liquid-like surfaces (LLS).
• To analyze the key factors influencing LLS anti/de-icing performance, such as grafting density, molecular weight, and polymer architecture.
• To explore the preparation methods and performance of various LLS types, including polymer brushes and networks, for diverse applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific publications on liquid-like surfaces (LLS) for anti/de-icing applications.
• Analysis of the relationship between LLS structural parameters (grafting density, molecular weight, branched structure, end groups) and their anti/de-icing efficacy.
• Categorization and elaboration of preparation methods for different LLS architectures, including polymer brushes, polymer networks, storage-functional polymer networks, and brush-like polymer networks.

Main Results:

• LLS demonstrate significant improvements in the durability of anti/de-icing surfaces compared to traditional methods.
• Key factors like grafting density, relative molecular weight, branched structure, and end groups critically influence LLS anti/de-icing performance.
• Various LLS, including polymer brushes and networks, can be synthesized with controllable properties for specific anti/de-icing requirements.
• LLS integration into photothermal anti-icing coatings can maintain excellent transparency, suiting specialized environments.

Conclusions:

• Liquid-like surfaces (LLS) represent a promising and durable solution for addressing the growing challenges of ice accretion in various technological applications.
• Understanding the structure-property relationships of LLS is crucial for optimizing their anti/de-icing performance.
• LLS exhibit considerable potential for future development in advanced anti/de-icing technologies, including transparent photothermal coatings.