Toward Enviromentally Adaptive Anti-icing Coating

Abstract

The formation, adhesion, and accumulation of ice and snow on solid surfaces causes multiple problems such as decreased power generation efficiency, increased energy consumption, and mechanical and/or electrical failure. These problems incur huge economic loss and threaten the safety of electrical appliances. Therefore, much effort has been expended in understanding the mechanism of icing and the relationship between liquids and surfaces at low temperatures. By controlling the characteristics of surface features such as wettability, topography, and lubricity, researchers have developed various anti-icing or icephobic coatings. However, despite the multiple propositions and tested scenarios, most of these coatings are insufficiently ice-repellant under a single atmospheric condition, so their applicability is limited in practice. Icing conditions become complex and variable as the surrounding environment changes, demanding a more adaptable ice-resistant surface. This chapter summarizes the most recent progress on passive anti-icing coatings, particularly stimuli-responsive anti-icing coatings with active surface function, prepared by various types of methods.