Synthesis of Siloxane-Based Polymer Brushes and Investigation As Low Ice Adhesion Coatings

Although ice is a natural part of the universe, ice formation on surfaces can have detrimental effects on human life, animals and plants, so scientists and industrial experts have invested significant effort to develop strategies to prevent, delay or otherwise mitigate the formation of ice. A multitude of anti-icing coatings have been developed commercially, employing various mechanisms and strategies to address ice formation. The project,“Synthesis of siloxane-based polymer brushes and investigation as low ice adhesion coatings” deals primarily with aerodynamic icing and the necessary adaptations human-created systems must incorporate to accommodate the presence of ice. The scope of this thesis is to investigate what effectsthe chemical structure, surface chemistry and topography of polysiloxane-based polymer brushes on aluminum substrates has on ice adhesion strength. Various anti-icing polysiloxane brush coatings were fabricated and applied onto aluminum substrates.The surface topography and chemistry resulting from different chemical structures were analyzedto monitor changes that affect ice adhesion. Ice adhesion was assessed in tensile mode to develop the structure – property relationships. The most attractive bis-branched polysiloxane modified surfaces displayed low surface energy (23.8 mN/m), low water contact angle hysteresis (4.0 o), and ultimately low ice adhesion strength (50 kPa) relative to uncoated aluminum (331 kPa).