The design of the icephobic surface represents an urgent challenge in the field of surface engineering with high application potential. In this work, we proposed the introduction of icephobic surface properties on the technically relevant materialpolyetheretherketone/carbon fibers (PEEK/CF) composite. The developed method utilizes the simple and scalable electrochemical etching to induce a significant increase of surface roughness and subsequent chemical grafting for attachment of hydrophobic fluoro-containing chemical moieties. The surface morphology was characterized at different scales, using the profilometer, confocal microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. The success of chemical grafting was confirmed using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) measurements. The surface properties were tuned to reach the superhydrophobic and Cassie–Baxter water drop states, minimizing the contact area between the drop and sample surface. The icephobic surface properties were tested through the measurements of the time delay of ice formation, precooled drop slipping, and estimation of ice removal force. It was convincingly demonstrated that optimal combination of physical and chemical treatment allows us reaching the icephobic properties on PEEK/CF composite. The main advantages of proposed procedure are its simplicity and scalability, which makes it highly attractive for the practical introduction of icephobic properties in the field of aircraft materials.

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The usage of three-dimensional (3D) printed materials in many bioapplications has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in the nanobiomaterial industry in the last couple of years. In this work, we present a chemical approach for grafting silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into a resin matrix, which is convenient for 3D printing. In this way, the samples can be prepared and are able to release silver ions (Ag+) with excellent antibacterial effect against bacterial strains of E. coli and S. epidermidis. By the proposed process, the AgNPs are perfectly mixed and involved in the polymerization process and their distribution in the matrix is homogenous. It was also demonstrated that this approach does not affect the printing resolution and the resin is therefore suitable for the construction of microstructures enabling controlled silver ion release and antifouling properties. At the same time the physical properties of the material, such as viscosity and elasticity modulus are preserved. The described approach can be used for the fabrication of facile, low-cost 3D printed resin with antifouling-antibacterial properties with the possibility to control the release of Ag+ through microstructuring.