Hydrophobic and Anti-Icing Behavior of UV-Laser-Treated Polyester Resin-Based Gelcoats

Abstract

Ice accumulation on wind turbine blades due to the impact of supercooled water droplets can be reduced by the application of surfaces with anti-icing properties. Hydrophobic surfaces are considered as a promising solution because of their water repellent behavior. In recent years, short-pulsed laser technologies have been developed as an efficient technique to modify the surface properties of materials. However, the anti-icing properties of such surfaces have not yet been validated. In this work, a hybrid modification of polyester resin-based gelcoats was adopted. Laser patterning (LP) was used to produce periodic surface structures on modified unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) substrates. One of the innovations of this research is the utilization of novel purpose-made chemical modifiers for gelcoats. The implementation of linear polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) as a building block is a key improvement in terms of durability and functionality of the coating, since there is an option of introducing not only groups bonding in the polyester into one molecule, but also groups that increase hydrophobicity. The other novelty is a successfully conducted experiment combining such chemical modification with laser texturization of the surface. The influence of the laser energy, pattern shape, and spatial periods on the topographical characteristics and hydrophobicity as well as the anti-icing properties of the produced surfaces were investigated. To characterize the surface topography of the produced structures, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and profilometer were utilized. Measurements of the wettability parameters (static contact angle and contact angle hysteresis) on the treated surfaces allowed the identification of the influence of wetting behavior and laser parameters on the investigated materials. Anti-icing properties were characterized by ice adhesion (IA) and freezing delay time (FDT) tests. It was found that hybrid modification of unsaturated polyester resin by chemical modifiers and laser treatment increased the hydrophobic and anti-icing properties of polyester gelcoats.

Transparent Silicone–Epoxy Coatings with Enhanced Icephobic Properties for Photovoltaic Applications

“…The other samples also showed a significant increase in the FDT, as the time values for these samples increased 5, 6, and 8 times. A previous work [32] also observed an increase in the FDT after modification with polysiloxanes of a polymer resin.…”

Role of Surface Topography in the Superhydrophobic Effect—Experimental and Numerical Studies

“…Due to their potent ability to delay and/or reduce ice accumulation, snow, and frost, they are reported as coatings with high ice phobic potential [31][32][33][34][35][36]. Among many publications, several authors highlighted the effect of contact angle hysteresis on the ice adhesion strength [18,[31][32][33]36], while others have reported reduced ice adhesion for high water contact angle values [31][32][33][34][35]. In opposition to those findings, many authors indicate no correlation or even negative influence of superhydrophobic properties on icephobic behavior.…”

“…There are many methodologies for obtaining the superhydrophobic properties of a surface. One of them is texturization to hierarchical micro-and nano-scale patterns with a combination of chemical treatments in volume materials [18] to obtain low surface energy, which in turn favors icephobic properties. One of the methodologies utilized to achieve roughness for hydrophobic surfaces is laser patterning.…”

Laser–Chemical Surface Treatment for Enhanced Anti-Corrosion and Antibacterial Properties of Magnesium Alloy

“…Recently, surface structuring via lasers has attracted a great deal of attention due to its potential for automation, environmental friendliness, high flexibility, and the high selectivity of the process [25][26][27][28][29]. Moreover, laser treatment has been combined with sequential surface chemistry treatments to improve the superhydrophobic properties [8,[30][31][32], corrosion resistance [33] and anti-bacterial properties of Mg alloys [34].…”