Low-Voltage Icing Protection Film for Automotive and Aeronautical Industries

Abstract

<jats:p>High-performance heater films are here proposed. They manifest great applicative potentiality in the de-icing technology of aircraft and motor vehicles. The films are suitable to be integrated into composite structures for the de/anti-icing function, which can be activated if the need arises. The heating is based on the joule effect of the current flowing through the electrically conductive films. Voltage and current parameters have been set based on the generators’ capacities on-board an aircraft and a car, as well as on the energy consumption during the operating conditions and the autonomy in the time. Green processes have been employed through all preparative steps of the films, which are composed of expanded graphite (60% wt/wt) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (40% wt/wt). The results reveal a very significant influence of the aspect ratio of the filler on the heating and de-icing performance and suggest how to enhance the de-icing efficiency saving energy and adapting the current on-board aircraft/car generators for de-icing operations.</jats:p>

Design of self-healing biodegradable polymers

“…A problem encountered in the design of self-healing materials based on reversible interactions is the lack of good mechanical properties. In order to overcome this no-trivial issue, several approach strategies have been proposed and, among these, an important role is played by those involving the use of polymers combined with nanofillers, which allow to producing new self-responsive multifunctional materials having high mechanical performance [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. A similar auto-repair approach can be integrated in commercial biodegradable polymers, having excellent gas barrier properties [22][23][24][25], which can be modified to favor the activation of self-healing mechanisms.…”

Laser-Induced Graphene Heater Pad for De-Icing

“…Flexible graphene-based electronics are rapidly gaining interest because graphene, a unique two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial, has great potential in electronics owing to its high electrical conductivity, excellent mechanical flexibility, and optical and thermal properties [1][2][3][4]. The electrothermal effect of graphene-based materials has received much attention because it is expected that they will substitute heavy metal heater products in a variety of fields, especially in the aeronautics and automotive industries, for de-icing and icing protection [5][6][7]. However, the feasibility of graphene-based heaters has been impeded by challenges such as difficulty in matching the high efficiency of metal heaters and the complex fabrication processes of graphene, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and wet-chemical approaches [8][9][10][11].…”

Self-Sensing Nanocomposites for Structural Applications: Choice Criteria

“…Epoxy resins containing dispersed electrically conductive nanofillers have proven to be effective multifunctional materials since they are able to integrate, together with structural and thermal properties, functional abilities [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Among “conductive nanofillers”, unfunctionalized and functionalized CNTs have been extensively explored to impart functional properties to polymeric composite materials.…”