Development of a hybrid anti-icing coating with superhydrophobic and electrothermal properties

Sullivan, Andrew G. (2022) Development of a hybrid anti-icing coating with superhydrophobic and electrothermal properties. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This work involves the development of a hybrid anti-icing coating. The multi-layered coating consists of an electrothermal heating film and superhydrophobic top coating. The heating film is composed of a thin layer of conductive copper-based epoxy, insulated between layers of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. The superhydrophobic coating is based on FAS-13 modified SiO₂ nanoparticles dispersed in a PDMS matrix. The composite coating was applied to a stainless steel substrate by consecutively depositing each layer by spray-coating. The SiO₂/PDMS coating exhibited a static contact angle of 164.3° and contact angle hysteresis of 2.8°, confirming its superhydrophobic properties. The anti-icing properties of the superhydrophobic coating were investigated experimentally inside a cold chamber at -20°C. The ice adhesion strength was reduced from 284 kPa on the untreated substrate to 50 kPa on the superhydrophobic coating, while the droplet freezing time was delayed from 8 seconds to 76 seconds. The heating film demonstrated a fast thermal response and excellent thermal stability. With the maximum surface power density of 3.46 W/cm², the surface temperature of the heating film could be raised to 10°C in just 45 seconds. In simulated spray-icing tests, the hybrid superhydrophobic-heating film achieved complete anti-icing with a minimum surface power density of 0.26 W/cm². Consequently, the superhydrophobic coating was found to reduce the energy required for anti-icing of the heating film by 41%. The hybrid coating was found to be durable and retained its superhydrophobicity after being subjected to repeated icing and de-icing cycles. The results demonstrate that the hybrid coating has potential for practical applications in the marine and offshore industries due to its simple, versatile fabrication process and energy-efficient anti-icing performance.

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