Towards nickel-titanium shape memory alloys for coatingless icephobic materials

To mitigate the effects of icing in industry and everyday life, significant efforts have been directed in the last decade towards the development of surfaces with low ice adhesion. Although several materials have emerged as potential candidates for the development of ultra-low ice adhesion coatings, most of them lack mechanical durability, as they are susceptible to abrasion. The present study explores the ice adhesion properties of a nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy (SMA), which combines a relatively low elastic modulus and mechanical durability, revealing that SMAs can display icephobic properties, with ice adhesion strength down to 100 kPa, comparable to that of soft polymers. NiTi samples of varying thicknesses are characterized for their critical shear stress and interfacial toughness, highlighting the significance of sample thickness and stiffness in ice adhesion characterization. Additionally, the impact of surface roughness on ice adhesion is examined. As a metallic material, NiTi offers superior mechanical durability, opening up a novel route for durable, coatingless technologies against ice adhesion.