Passive Dynamic Icephobic Coatings

Advanced ice prevention technology is required to meet the US Navy's needs in protecting ship superstructures and personnel from the damaging effects of ice accretion. Severe ice accretion on ship superstructures can result in drastic loss of stability and handling. Many de-icing methods have been developed around the concept of mechanical or thermal energy. These methods are efficient but they are both time and energy consuming and require elaborate infrastructures and maintenance. The ideal solution would be the application of a coating that minimizes or completely prevents ice accretion on the ship structures. The coating should withstand weathering and offer consistent performance with each icing event. In Phase I, the effectiveness of a novel icephobic coating that will prevent ice accretion on metallic and composite surfaces via the phenomenon of passive dynamics is demonstrated. The proposed Phase II program would extend the benefits of this novel technology to user friendly and environmentally compliant icephobic coatings for a variety of Navy ship structures. An expanded test plan would include optimizing the icephobic formulations and extensively testing treated composite and metallic substrates for the prevention of ice accretion and environmental durability. Methodology will be developed for scaling up and applying optimized icephobic coatings. Optimized icephobic coatings will be qualification tested for ultimate naval certification.