Zwitterionic Self-Constraining Lubricant Coating for Prevention of Dust-Induced Icing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Tribology

Background:

• Anti-icing coatings are crucial for infrastructure in aviation, power, and transportation, but their performance degrades due to dust accumulation.
• Dust adheres electrostatically, making it difficult to remove by natural means like wind or rain, thus compromising coating effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the dust-induced icing process and develop a strategy to suppress it.
• To create a novel coating that repels dust and maintains anti-icing properties despite dust deposition.

Main Methods:

• Development of a self-constraining lubricant (SCL) coating incorporating ionic liquids (ILs) and zwitterionic copolymers within a PDMS matrix.
• Enhancement of coating conductivity using ILs (EMIES) to dissipate static electricity and prevent dust adsorption.
• Integration of zwitterionic copolymers to stabilize ILs and introduce hydrophilic segments for improved anti-icing and deicing.

Main Results:

• The SCL coating demonstrated enhanced conductivity (≈2.04 S/m), effectively preventing electrostatic dust adsorption.
• Achieved superior anti-icing properties: -27.9°C heterogeneous ice nucleation temperature, 1458s icing delay, and 8.1 kPa ice adhesion strength.
• The coating exhibited dust-repellent performance and retained anti-icing capabilities and low ice adhesion after 30 icing-deicing cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed SCL coating offers a robust solution against dust-induced icing on outdoor infrastructure.
• This strategy effectively combines dust repellency with sustained anti-icing performance, crucial for real-world applications.
• The findings establish a new paradigm for designing advanced anti-icing surfaces resistant to environmental contaminants.