New insights into tailoring physicochemical properties for optimizing the anti‐icing behavior of polyurethane coatings

Abstract

AbstractThe most popular topcoat in the coatings industry, polyurethane (PU), still lacks an understanding of ice‐related phenomena and hence achieving an icephobic PU‐based coating has remained an important unresolved issue. This work presents fresh perspectives on how factors including chemical characteristics, cross‐link density, and mechanical characterization impact the anti‐icing capabilities and ice‐adhesion of PU coatings. In this regard, the effects of the of aforementioned coatings having various crosslink densities on wettability, ice formation, and ice adhesion were assessed via multiple approaches. Two acrylic polyols with different hydroxyl content and two commonly used aliphatic polyisocyanates with different %NCOs were utilized to fabricate the PU coatings. In addition, coatings were designed with different stoichiometric ratios providing a route to various crosslink densities and mechanical properties. Wettability characteristics were investigated using water contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and sliding angle. The roles of urethane linkages and hydrogen‐bond formation between water molecules and urethane composition of PU coatings on ice nucleation and ice adhesion were studied through DSC, push‐off, and centrifugal tests. Mechanical characteristics and surface roughness of the coatings were investigated by tensile test and optical profilometer, respectively.