Researchers Develop a More Durable Ice-repellent Coating
Ice-repellent coatings have been around for some time, but until now they have been very sensitive and detach quite quickly from the surfaces they are meant to protect. A research team from the Institute of Solid State Physics at Graz University of Technology has now succeeded in remedying this shortcoming. They have developed a highly ice-repellent coating that adheres to a wide variety of materials and is very resistant to abrasion. This progress was achieved by using a manufacturing technology called initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), which makes it possible for a strongly adhesive primer material to gradually transition into the ice-repellent compound.
The researchers present gradient polymers made of 1,3,5,7-tetravinyl-1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (V4D4) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA) deposited in one step via iCVD as an effective coating to mitigate ice accretion and reduce ice adhesion. The gradient structures easily overcome adhesion, stability, and durability issues of traditional fluorinated coatings. The coatings depress the freezing point, delay drop freezing, and inhibit ice nucleation and frost propagation.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-team-durable-coating-ice.html
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.3c18630