Dylan Tremba
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Michael Gurin
Research Mentor School/College/Department: / NonUM
Program: UROP
Session: Session 4 (1:40pm – 2:30pm)
Authors: Dylan Tremba
Abstract
Ice adhesion can be an issue for a variety of industries, including ice buildup on windows, solar panels, aeronautical control surfaces, and other problems. A potential solution to these issues is to use coatings having low interfacial strength with ice in order to allow ice to be shed more easily. One area that requires further investigation is the effects of mechanical properties of coatings on their icephobic properties. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of substrate thickness on the ability of engineered siloxane coatings to shed ice from their surface. In order to test this in a controlled manner, a number of aluminum panels were prepared by applying a BJB substrate to the surface with a doctor blade in order to keep its thickness consistent. A unidirectional thin carbon fiber sheet was then cured on the surface of the substrate to act as an intermediate layer and followed with a coating of an engineered siloxane. Water was then poured into 1 cm2 cuvettes on top of the coating and allowed to freeze at -10°C before then taking measurements of the amount of force required to shear them off. We expect that there will be an inverse correlation between substrate thickness and shear force required to remove ice from the surface of the coating.
