Flame-sprayed polyethylene on polydimethylsiloxane as a composite material with ice-phobic properties

Abstract

Passive anti-icing coatings are a promising strategy to mitigate ice accumulation without external energy input. In this study, a bilayer composite material combining a soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer of different thicknesses with a flame-sprayed polyethylene (PE) top layer was developed and evaluated for icephobic performance. Surface morphology, wettability, interlayer adhesion, and micromechanical properties were systematically characterized. Ice adhesion strength was measured using both push-test and centrifugal adhesion test methods under controlled icing conditions.The results show that the icephobic performance of the composites strongly depends on the thickness of the PDMS sublayer. While thin PDMS layer provide limited improvement compared to PE alone, composite with thicker PDMS layer significantly reduces ice adhesion, outperforming both pure PDMS and pure PE coatings. Accelerated aging led to partial degradation; nevertheless, the composite maintained low ice adhesion and superior performance over single-layer systems.These findings demonstrate that PE–PDMS bilayer architectures offer a robust and tuneable approach for designing durable, passive anti-icing surfaces.