Fabrication and Performance of Nano-silica/Silicone-modified Polyacrylic Acid Anti-icing Coating

The anti-icing coatings were prepared by incorporating γ-(methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxy silane(KH-570) functionalized nano-silica(SiO₂) into silicone-modified polyacrylic acid.The surface functionalization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FT-IR),thermal weight loss(TGA) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results showed that SiO₂ was coated with KH-570 during the process of chemical group exchange,resulting in the improved hydrophobicity of the coating and the dispersibility of the SiO₂ in the coating.It was also found that the amount of functionalized SiO₂ played an important role in the wettability and adhesive strength property of the coating.When the content of functionalized SiO₂ was 8%,the coating exhibited superhydrophobic property when the water contact angle was 150°;in addition,the increase of functionalized SiO₂ content could contribute to low adhesion to the ice,and when the content of functionalized SiO₂ was 8%,the adhesive force to the ice of the superhydrophbic coating was only 30% of that of the polyacrylic acid paint film.These findings suggest that synergistic effect of KH-570 functionalized SiO₂ and silicone-modified polyacrylic acid contributes to the hydrophobicity and anti-icing property of the coating.