Ospina Catalina, Ibáñez-Ibáñez Pablo F, Tagliaro Irene, Stendardo Luca, Tosatti Samuele, Antonini Carlo
Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, 20125 Milan, Italy.
Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, 20125 Milan, Italy; Department of Applied Physics, University of Granada, Av. de Fuente Nueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Jan;677(Pt B):494-503. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.08.042. Epub 2024 Aug 9.
Soft materials are promising candidates for designing passive de-icing systems. It is unclear whether low adhesion on soft surfaces is due to elasticity or lubrication, and how these properties affect the ice detachment mechanism. This study presents a systematic analysis of ice adhesion on soft materials with different lubricant content to better understand the underpinning interaction.
The wetting and mechanical properties of soft polydimethylsiloxane with different lubricant content were thoroughly characterized by contact angle, AFM indentation, and rheology measurements. The collected information was used to understand the relationship with the ice adhesion results, obtained by using different ice block sizes.
Three different de-icing mechanisms were identified: (i) single detachment occurs when small ice blocks are considered, and the ice completely detaches in a single event. In the case of larger ice blocks, the reattachment of the ice block is promoted by either: (ii) stick-slip or, (iii) interfacial slippage, depending on the lubricant content. It was confirmed that the ice adhesion strength not only depends on material properties but also on experimental conditions, such as the ice dimensions. Moreover, differently than on hard surfaces, where wetting primarily determines the icephobic performance, also elasticity and lubrication should be considered on soft surfaces.
软材料是设计被动除冰系统的理想候选材料。目前尚不清楚软表面上的低附着力是由于弹性还是润滑作用，以及这些特性如何影响冰的脱离机制。本研究对不同润滑剂含量的软材料上的冰附着力进行了系统分析，以更好地理解其潜在的相互作用。
通过接触角、原子力显微镜压痕和流变学测量，全面表征了不同润滑剂含量的软聚二甲基硅氧烷的润湿性和力学性能。收集到的信息用于理解与使用不同冰块尺寸获得的冰附着力结果之间的关系。
确定了三种不同的除冰机制：（i）当考虑小冰块时发生单次脱离，冰在单次事件中完全脱离。对于较大的冰块，冰块的重新附着由以下两种情况之一促进：（ii）粘滑或（iii）界面滑动，这取决于润滑剂含量。证实了冰附着力不仅取决于材料特性，还取决于实验条件，如冰的尺寸。此外，与硬表面不同，在硬表面上润湿性主要决定疏冰性能，而在软表面上还应考虑弹性和润滑作用。
