Water- and ice-repellent coatings

Abstract

Thick snow or ice adhering to the surface of an antenna used for radio communication can impede telecommunication. So methods to reduce the build-up of snow end ice are needed. The use of water-repellent coatings to prevent snow and ice sticking has been studied, and in this paper, results of tests on the adhesion of ice and how it is effected by the contact angle, surface roughness and thermodynamics were obtained. The results were as follows: 1. A new type of water-repellent coating exhibited a contact ongle of 150 degrees. 2. The surface free energy of the water-repellent coating gives a linear relationship between the build up of ice. 3. The greater the surface roughness of high wettability materials, the better the adhesion, and the greater the surface roughness of water-repellent coatings, the worse the adhesion.