Enhancing Icephobic Coatings: Exploring the Potential of Dopamine-Modified Epoxy Resin Inspired by Mussel Catechol Groups

Abstract

A nature-inspired approach was employed through the development of dopamine-modified epoxy coating for anti-icing applications. The strong affinity of dopamine’s catechol groups for hydrogen bonding with water molecules at the ice/coating interface was utilized to induce an aqueous quasi-liquid layer (QLL) on the surface of the icephobic coatings, thereby reducing their ice adhesion strength. Epoxy resin modification was studied by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The surface and mechanical properties of the prepared coatings were studied by different characterization techniques. Low-temperature ATR-FTIR was employed to study the presence of QLL on the coating’s surface. Moreover, the freezing delay time and temperature of water droplets on the coatings were evaluated along with push-off and centrifuge ice adhesion strength to evaluate their icephobic properties. The surface of dopamine-modified epoxy coating presented enhanced hydrophilicity and QLL formation, addressed as the main reason for its remarkable icephobicity. The results demonstrated the potential of dopamine-modified epoxy resin as an effective binder for icephobic coatings, offering notable ice nucleation delay time (1316 s) and temperature (−19.7 °C), reduced ice adhesion strength (less than 40 kPa), and an ice adhesion reduction factor of 7.2 compared to the unmodified coating.