Mechanical durability of low ice adhesion polydimethylsiloxane surfaces

Abstract

Elastomeric surfaces and oil-infused elastic surfaces reveal low ice adhesion, in part because of their deformability. However, these soft surfaces might jeopardize their mechanical durability. In this work, we analyzed the mechanical durability of elastic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces with different balances between elasticity and deicing performances. The durability was studied in terms of shear/tensile ice adhesion strength before and after different wear tests. These tests consisted of abrasion/ erosion cycles using standard procedures aimed to reproduce different environmental wearing agents. The main objective is to evaluate if our PDMS surfaces can become long-lasting solutions for ice removal in real conditions. We found that our elastic surfaces show excellent durability. After the wear tests, the ice adhesion strength values remained low or even unaltered. Although the oil-infused PDMS surface was the softest one, it presented considerable durability and excellent low ice adhesion, being a promising solution.