Performance Enhancement of Deicing Systems with the Use of an Anti-Ice Nano-Coating

The proposed program addresses NASA's need for a new generation of icing mitigation technology for manned and unmanned vehicles, particularly related to icing on airframe of flight into supercooled liquid water clouds and regions of high ice crystal density. The state of the art active deicing method on leading edges involves either an electrical, pneumatic or vibration induced debonding of accumulated ice. With the advent of icephobic nanocoatings, there have been attempts to develop a durable passive anti-ice coating. However, success to date has been limited. The state of the art can be advanced if anti-ice coatings can be made more durable, and are made to function synergistically with active de-icing techniques. The advantages are reduced power consumption, improved service life of mechanical components, lighter electronics and extra protection in case of failure of active device. Working in collaboration with a manufacturer of low power ice protection systems for commercial and military aircraft, we propose in Phase I to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating a durable anti-ice coating with an active deicing device. The proposed program builds upon NEI's core competency of introducing desirable functionalities into engineered coatings. The anti-ice/deicing performance will be tested at our collaborator's icing wind tunnel. The objective of the Phase II program will be to further refine the coating composition and coating deposition process, as well as the configuration of the baseline active deicing device so as to deliver a working prototype of an integrated ice protection system that combines a passive anti-ice coating and an active deicing device.