Open Call for Science and Technology Created by Early-Stage (e.g. University) Teams

Icing is an omnipresent phenomenon in nature and technology and impacts a broad spectrum of sectors including aircrafts, drones, military and civilian infrastructures, logistics and surveillance systems, and marine vessels. Icing in aircrafts engine results in detrimental effects on engine performance, operability, and aeromechanics, may lead to catastrophic events and is a challenge for both legacy and advanced propulsion systems. Although de-icing coatings play a vital role in these systems, development of durable and high-performance coatings for such demanding applications remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate a new de-icing material paradigm, stress-localized coatings, with minimal adhesion to ice and high mechanical, chemical and environmental durability. These coating show an order of magnitude higher performance than state-of-the-art coatings as shown in a comprehensive study. These coatings are commercialized through SurfEllent and have been used by a range of non-DoD customers. Furthermore, the coating is applied on an aircraft engine, is tested in ice wind tunnel, and is shown superior de-icing performance. Here, we plan to introduce these coatings to Air Force aircrafts to avoid any critical damage and high power consumption due to accumulated ice in the engine. The coating technology will be customized based on the specific requirements of Air Force.