Pavement anti-icing coating based on a functional composite of NaCl microcapsules

Abstract

Since NaCl can effectively inhibit ice adhesion onto pavement surface, this work prepared a pavement anti-icing coating (PAC) containing NaCl microcapsules, epoxy resin, and emery. The scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed the successful preparation of the NaCl microcapsules. The continuous soaking and dissolution test and the skid resistance test were used to determine the optimal mass gain rate of the NaCl microcapsules and the optimal microcapsule and emery content of the coating to obtain a coating with long-lasting anti-icing and high skid resistance. Then, the skid resistance, the abrasion, and the anti-icing properties of the coating were analyzed. The optimal application amount of the coating was obtained, and the durability and anti-icing performance of the coating was examined. The results show that the coating has good abrasion resistance, and the release law of NaCl remains unchanged after the coating is worn. The coating reduces the adhesion strength of ice by 85.6% and 45.3% at a temperature of –3 and –13 °C respectively. The work provides an alternative to the existing active anti-icing of pavements.