Glaciphobic Polymeric Materials

Abstract

This paper describes a reliable quantitative measurement of the adhesion of ice to polymeric films and coatings using an enclosed-crack fracture mechanics test method. Two different material sets are described. One set considers the adhesion of ice to polypropylene films which in some cases were treated with an air corona to render them more hydrophilic. Shifts toward higher surface energy as indicated by decreases in static water contact angle and increases in surface oxygen content as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) produced significant increases in ice adhesion. Another material set considers the adhesion of ice to crosslinked poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) coatings applied to primed poly(ethylene terephthalate) films and aluminum sheet. Adding non-functional PDMS to the PDMS coatings produced no significant change in either ice adhesion values or failure mode of ice release up to an addition level of 40 weight percent, but beyond 40 weight percent, glaciphobicity deteriorated. Thickness of the PDMS coatings was found to profoundly affect ice adhesion, which decreased from about 1 J/m2 to about 0.1 J/m2 over a thickness range of about 8 μm to about 1 μm.