The present invention pertains to ice-phobic coatings that are both anti-icing and de-icing, maintaining their efficacy across multiple freezing cycles. Specifically, the invention involves a coating composition that includes crosslinked soft particles, which enable the slow release of small molecule freezing point depressants. Additionally, it features a high-volume fraction of these hydrophilic soft particles dispersed within a hydrophobic crosslinkable medium. These ice-phobic coatings are designed to be durable, cost-effective, and capable of enduring repeated frosting cycles while providing effective anti-icing and de-icing performance.
- Robust ability to retain performance over many cycles of frosting
- Capable of significantly delaying frost formation on a test aluminum substrate
- Can decrease the force required to shear off the ice that is formed on the surface
- Uses crosslinked soft particles that allow slow release of the small molecule freezing point depressant
- Blended coating comprises a majority included phase that slowly releases a freezing point depressant and decreases the modulus
- Minority matrix phase provides mechanical stability to the coating
- Provides excellent anti-icing performance even in extremely harsh conditions
The prepared coating consists of two distinct phases. Phase 1 is a rigid elastomeric material, while Phase 2 is a soft gel that gradually releases a freezing point depressant. To prepare the gel, 2.5 grams of gelatin are dissolved in 30 milliliters of a DMSO-water (90:10) solution with slight heating and vigorous stirring. After dissolution, 100 microliters of the glutaraldehyde (GTA) crosslinker is added to the mixture, which is then immediately transferred to a petri dish and cured at room temperature. This gel serves as the Phase 2 material for the ice-phobic coating. For the Phase 1 matrix, a predetermined weight of RTV-1 silicone is added to 15 milliliters of xylene solution and stirred continuously until fully dissolved. This solution forms the rigid elastomeric component of the ice-phobic coating.
The invention is at the stage of Demonstration and/or validation in lab environment. The coating has been tested in labs and has shown better performance than other known coatings in the case of both anti-icing and de-icing.
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Airplane industry, Electric power industry, Military and Defense industry, Marine industry, Construction industry, Transportation industry
Preventing ice formation (anti-icing) and facilitating ice removal (de-icing) on various surfaces is of significant practical importance. For instance, ice formation on aircraft necessitates time-consuming and expensive de-icing procedures before operation. Similarly, ice accumulation on power lines in cold regions can lead to power outages and requires de-icing. Due to the widespread impact of these issues, there is an ongoing interest in developing cost-effective and durable anti-icing and de-icing technologies.
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