Author:
Zhang Zichen,Ou Junfei,Li Wen
Abstract
Icing is a severe hazard to the flight safety of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in cold climates. Great efforts have been put into developing a reliable and practical anti-/de-icing system for icing mitigation. Compared to the conventional thermal-based deicing systems, applying superhydrophobic coatings with excellent ice-repellent performance is a promising anti-icing technique with low weight and low energy input. However, the application of superhydrophobic coatings on UAV is hindered by the substandard durability. This chapter comprehensively reviews advances in durability tests of superhydrophobic coatings pertinent to UAV anti-/de-icing. This chapter specifically introduces the mechanism of degrading superhydrophobic coatings by droplet erosion, which is rarely discussed in previous studies but can cause severe damage to the surface topology by applying “water hammer pressure.” Consequently, recommendations are provided to facilitate a more systematic approach to conducting durability tests for superhydrophobic coatings.