Development of sol–gel icephobic coatings: effect of surface roughness and surface energy

Sol-gel coatings with different roughness and surface energy were prepared on glass substrates. Methyl triethoxysilane (MTEOS), 3-Glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GLYMO) and fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) were used to obtain a mechanically robust icephobic coating. Different amount of hydrophobic silica nano particles was added as fillers to introduce different roughness and surface energy to the coatings. The microstructure, roughness, and surface energy, together with elemental information and surface chemical state were investigated at room temperature. The contact angle and sliding angle were measured at different temperatures to correlate the wetting behavior at low temperature with the anti-icing performance. The ice adhesion shear strength was measured inside an ice chamber using a self-designed tester. The factors influencing the ice adhesion were discussed, and the optimum anti-icing performance found in the series of coatings. It was found that lower surface energy leads to lower ice adhesion regardless of the roughness, while the roughness plays a more complicated role. The wetting behavior of the droplet on surface changes as temperature decreases. The anti-icing performance is closely related to the anti-wetting property of the surfaces at sub-zero temperatures.