Development and application of the low Curie point positive temperature coefficient (PTC) electrothermal anti-icing material

Abstract

The application of the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) materials in electrothermal anti-icing offers not only uniform heating of the anti-icing area, but also adaptive temperature control of the material. This study focuses on the preparation of a low Curie point PTC material with a Curie temperature point of 1 °C, using the in-situ polymerization method. The PTC behaviors of the material were extensively investigated by adjusting the component ratios and the microstructures of the materials were analyzed in correlation with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Subsequently, adaptive temperature control and stability experiments were conducted to evaluate the material's performance. Eventually, the material was adopted to electrothermal anti-icing experiment for wind turbine blades. The results demonstrate that when the mass fraction of acetylene black is 9 wt%, the mass ratio of n-tetradecane/hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) is 1:1, and the mass ratio of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/HTPDMS is 1:2, the low-temperature resistivity of the low Curie point PTC material reaches an impressive value of only 5.37 Ω cm, the PTC intensity can reach 2.99, and the thermal conductivity can reach 0.778 W/(m·K). Furthermore, the material exhibits robust adaptive temperature control capability, effectively maintaining the temperature below 3 °C under different operating voltages and ambient temperatures. Even after 100 cyclic experiments, the material demonstrates superior PTC behavior, excellent temperature control ability, and exceptional stability. Additionally, under different operating voltages, ambient temperatures and wind speeds, the low Curie point PTC material exhibits excellent adaptive adjustment capability and maintains uniform heating of the anti-icing surface. These findings provide valuable insights for in-depth exploration of the low Curie point PTC electrothermal anti-icing materials.