Durable Anti-Icing Coatings Based on Self-Sustainable Lubricating Layer

Abstract

A versatile, convenient, and cost-effective method that can be used for grafting anti-icing materials onto different surfaces is highly desirable. Based on mussel-inspired chemistry, the anti-icing coating with extremely low ice adhesion is enabled by constructing a self-sustainable lubricating layer, achieved via modifying solid substrates with a highly hydrophilic conjugate of poly(acrylic acid)–dopamine. Both unfreezable and freezable water remain liquidlike at subzero conditions and synergistically fulfill the role of lubrication for reducing the ice adhesion. The anti-icing coatings show excellent stability in harsh environments and durability after the cross-linking. More importantly, this coating can be applied to various substrates and is of great promise for practical applications.

Hydrogels as Durable Anti-Icing Coatings Inhibit and Delay Ice Nucleation

“…As shown in Figure 5b, Th (NaCl) = −24.2 ± 1.0 °C, Th (NaOH) = −24.0 ± 1.2 °C, Th (HCl) = −23.6 ± 1.0 °C and Th (SD1) = −23.8 ± 1.0 °C. These results illustrate that the stability of the coating would be enhanced through NaIO4induced cross-linking, and the anti-icing performances of cross-linked coatings remain existent even in a harsh environment, which is consistent with the literature [39].…”

“…Moreover, the ice nucleation temperatures for the cross-linked coatings after soaking in the solutions indistinguishably vary, including the HCl, NaOH and NaCl solutions, and are almost the same as those of their counterparts without soaking. As shown in Figure 5b, T h (NaCl) = −24.2 ± 1.0 • C, T h (NaOH) = −24.0 ± 1.2 • C, T h (HCl) = −23.6 ± 1.0 • C and T h (SD1) = −23.8 ± 1.0 • C. These results illustrate that the stability of the coating would be enhanced through NaIO 4 -induced cross-linking, and the anti-icing performances of cross-linked coatings remain existent even in a harsh environment, which is consistent with the literature [39]. and do not require any chemical pretreatment of substrates; 3) the cross-linking density of the coatings would be varied due to the covalent oxidative coupling of dopamine, which is crucial for tailoring the anti-icing performances.…”

“…In this study, sodium alginate hydrogels with different cross-linking degrees were used. The consistency of the material can exclude the influence of charge, so Equation (3) can be simplified to [39]:…”

“…However, since the value of ρ e that is usually encountered is 0.01-0.02, the influence of the second term is quite small, so that the increase of ϕ 2 causes the decrease of T c . Chen et al [39] has reported that the freezing temperature T c of the freezable water in the hydrophilic polymer and the water volume fraction ϕ 2 in the hydrogel network have a functional relationship when χ 1 = 0.50. As shown in Figure S7, the water remains liquid until it is below zero; as the water content of the hydrogel decreases, the freezing temperature gradually decreases, and the downward trend gradually increases.…”

Highly cross‐linked UV‐cured siloxane copolymer networks as icephobic coatings

“…Such wet materials contain lubricating fluids that impart icephobicity through interfacial effects. Two prominent examples of these materials are slippery lubricant‐infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) consisting of a porous substrate filled with a lubricant, lubricated polymer networks (gels) and self‐lubricating coatings, such as those containing micellar structures . Despite the observed ultra‐low ice adhesion, few materials are durable enough to show consistently low ice adhesion over repeated deicing cycles.…”