For faster and greener anti-icing/deicing, a new generation of anti-icing materials are expected to possess both passive anti-icing properties and active deicing properties. The photothermal effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is used in the field of photothermal cancer therapy, while the application in anti-icing/deicing is seldom investigated. Superhydrophobic SiC/CNTs coatings with photothermal deicing and passive anti-icing properties were first prepared by a simple spray-coating method. The results of 3D profile and microstructure observed via scanning electron microscopy demonstrate that the micronanostructure combined with peaklike SiC microstructure and villiform CNTs nanostructure makes the coatings surface superhydrophobic, exhibiting a water contact angle of up to 161° and a roll angle as low as 2°. This micronanostructure can also reduce ice anchoring and ice adhesion strength. Utilizing the photothermal effect of CNTs, the surface temperature of the coatings is rapidly increased upon near-infrared light (808 nm) irradiation. The heat is transferred rapidly to the surroundings by highly thermal conductive CNTs. The light-to-heat conversion efficiency in deicing tests is approximately 50.94%, achieving a highly efficient remote deicing effect. This superhydrophobic coating combining photothermal deicing and passive anti-icing properties is expected to be further used in various practical applications and in development of a new generation of anti-icing/deicing coatings.

No abstract

Bionanocomposites of poly­(propylene carbonate) (PPC) enhanced by cellulose nanocrytals (CNCs) are prepared via a two-step process using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a carrier. Interfacial interaction among PPC, PEG, and CNCs, dispersion of CNCs in bionanocomposites, thermal properties, mechanical behavior, oxygen barrier property, and rheological responses are investigated. The obtained PPC/PEG/CNC nanocomposites display obvious improvement of barrier properties by adding an extremely low loading of CNCs. O2 permeability is decreased by more than 76% at CNC loading of 0.3 wt %. The Cussler model works better to predict gas barrier for nanocomposites. TEM results show that CNC is well dispersed in the matrix, and the introduction of CNC remarkably increases the tensile strength and storage modulus of PPC. Interestingly, elongation at break of the PPC/PEG/CNC nanocomposite remains above 580%. Moreover, the inclusion of CNCs increases the thermal stability and initial decomposition temperature (T –5%) of nanocomposites. The T –5% for the PPC/PEG/0.7CNC nanocomposite is approximately 246.5 °C, which is increased by 17.1% compared with that of pure PPC (210.5 °C). This makes PPC/PEG/CNC nanocomposites a very promising degradable material for food packaging applications.

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC)/poly(butylenes adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) blends with various composition ratios were prepared via melt mixing using a twin‐screw extruder. The effect of melt viscosities of polymers on mechanical behavior, interfacial interaction, thermal properties, rheological responses, and phase morphology was investigated. Results showed that the phase morphology and properties of PPC/PBAT blends were affected by the composition of the blends and the melt viscosities of the two polymers. Results of tensile tests, FTIR, and dynamic rheological measurement of PBAT‐rich blends exhibited a better mechanical properties, intermolecular interactions, and compatibility when compared with PPC‐rich blends due to the differences of their melt viscosities. Incorporating of PBAT effectively improved the Tg of PPC and the thermal stability of the blends. The Tc of PPC/PBAT blends markedly increased from 37.5 to 66.8 °C with addition of only 10 wt% PPC, indicating an enhanced crystallization ability of PBAT. The improvement of Tc was helpful for blown film extrusion. SEM microphotographs showed that the size of the dispersed phase particles is much smaller and the distribution is more uniform for PBAT‐rich blends, compared with that in PPC‐rich blends. The processing stability of blown film extrusion was improved by blending PPC with PBAT. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48924.

No abstract