Comparative study on the influence of surface characteristics on de-icing evaluation

A comparative study of de-icing evaluation methods was conducted in this work, and their variations in response to surface characteristics were investigated. The mechanical de-icing measurements include centrifugal, push, and tensile methods. The centrifugal and the horizontal push (shear) methods suggested a linear relationship of ice adhesion strength with surface roughness, whereas the tensile (normal) method indicated an inverse curvilinear relationship with contact angle hysteresis. A partial correlation of contact angle hysteresis on the shear-based methods was also indicated over a specified range of surface roughness. Further attempts were also made on 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane-coated surfaces, and the ice adhesion indicated a clear reduction in the normal de-icing method, whereas the shear-based methods did not show a considerable change in ice adhesion, highlighting their mechanical forces-centric response. Lastly, a further evaluation using a hybrid de-icing method was conducted, to verify the influence of surface characteristics on ice removal involving heating, which demonstrated a partial correlation of energy consumption with the ice adhesion strength over a specified range of surface roughness. The results obtained in this study provide crucial information on the influence of surface characteristics on ice adhesion and offer material-dependent correlations of the popular de-icing evaluation methods. The conclusions could be applied to define an appropriate testing method for the evaluation of icephobic surfaces and coatings. Graphical abstract