On the Durability of Icephobic Coatings: A Review

Abstract

Ice formation and accumulation on surfaces has a negative impact in many different sectors and can even represent a potential danger. In this review, the latest advances and trends in icephobic coatings focusing on the importance of their durability are discussed, in an attempt to pave the roadmap from the lab to engineering applications. An icephobic material is expected to lower the ice adhesion strength, delay freezing time or temperature, promote the bouncing of a supercooled drop at subzero temperatures and/or reduce the ice accretion rate. To better understand what is more important for specific icing conditions, the different types of ice that can be formed in nature are summarized. Similarly, the alternative methods to evaluate the durability are reviewed, as this is key to properly selecting the method and parameters to ensure the coating is durable enough for a given application. Finally, the different types of icephobic surfaces available to date are considered, highlighting the strategies to enhance their durability, as this is the factor limiting the commercial applicability of icephobic coatings.

Round-Robin Study for Ice Adhesion Tests

“…The developers of such icephobic materials are facing a lack of standardized test methods for performance evaluation and technology transition and deployment. Various test methods have been developed over the past decades [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], but efforts to compare the test results with each other are limited, resulting in uncertainties of general rules for the identification of icephobic surfaces [21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. This study is aimed at the delivery of test data derived from identical coating and tape materials to exclude any uncertainties in the comparability of test surfaces.…”